Cities Across the Nation to Participate in National League of Cities Race Equality Week Sept. 23-29 9/23/2002
From: John Pionke, 202-626-3051 or Michael Reinemer, 202-626-3003, both of NLC WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- Cities, large and small, are prepared to participate in the National League of Cities (NLC) Race Equality Week Sept. 23-29. The week has been designated to spotlight issues surrounding racism in America and what cities can do to promote diversity and strengthen ethnic relations. Issues like racial profiling, predatory lending, fairness in hiring practices, and affordable housing and health care are among the top issues that NLC and cities will be focusing on throughout the week. Many cities will be kicking off new race initiatives and programs to promote race equality in their communities. Some Local Events Planned for Race Equality Week -- The city of Phoenix, Ariz., has established a Spanish-speaking support group for women in an effort to provide long-term services for Spanish-speaking clients. The Human Relations department has sponsored the Faces of Diversity Brown Bag Education Program. Community speakers present a monthly lunchtime lecture series relating to diversity. The cities Equal Opportunity Department has established a monthly newsletter called "The Diversity Dialogue". The city also provided mandatory "Managing and Valuing Diversity". The city is also increasing their minority hiring by working with various organizations around the city to create a more diverse workforce within the city. -- The city of Mesa, Ariz., Human Relations Advisory Board and the Diversity Office will host a "Planning Mesa's Future: Diversity Counts" conference in observance of race Equality Week. More than 200 individuals representing many sectors of Mesa's community have been invited to attend. Leaders from various segments of the community will be asked to share their perspectives on diversity issues and attendees will be asked to help formulate future planning for Mesa. -- Hayward, Calif. is planning its annual "Cultures in Harmony Faire." The event will have activity and information booths to represent cultures living and working in Hayward. There will also be multicultural entertainment and food. Hayward has also put up "No Room For Racism" signs at the entrance of the city and had bright pink bumper stickers made up as well. -- Garden City, Kan. will hold a panel discussion with various minorities on live TV. They will spotlight the progress made during the city's 25-year experience with multi-culturalism and the needs now facing the community. The city also plans to televise an hour-long panel discussion with the city's elected officials to discuss diversity and information they have received from citizens. Moderators will then join the panel to share information on how to better promote cultural relations for Garden City. -- Waco, Texas has implemented the Community Race relations Coalition (CRRC) as a community supported organization that focuses on improving race relations. On Sept. 26, the CRRC will host a general meeting at Baylor University and will give attendees an opportunity to go through a visioning exercise on what the community can do to improve race relations. -- In Paducah, Ky., Mayor William Paxton, III has started a program called the Mayor's Advisory Council for Community Unity. Each month the mayor conducts a meeting with his cities minority leaders to discuss issues that affect the community. The mayor also recently held a community retreat to help foster understanding and encourage diversity in the workplace and within the community. Each participant signed the Birmingham Pledge, a personal commitment to remove prejudice from their lives. The city has pledged to become more diverse in their hiring practices. -- The city of Riverside, Calif. is hosting a an essay contest for grades 1 through 12 on the topic of "What Can Be Done to Improve Race Relations in the City of Riverside." Riverside has also created a statement entitled "Building a More Inclusive Riverside Community." It has been distributed throughout the city is asking for organizations to adopt and support the statement. -- In Lake Charles, La., a newly formed race relations task force will meet Sept. 25 to formulate a mission statement and objectives and strategies to reaffirm their commitment to race equality. -- Ozark, Ala. will hold a meeting of the New Community Book Club who will read and discuss the book "The Color of Our Future". The club has been designed to acquaint readers with diverse points of view by persons of different racial, national and religious backgrounds. The Public Library is sponsoring a Festival of Foods, which will feature various racial, ethnic and national foods. Other NLC Resources for Communities The NLC has also launched a three-year project to help local officials reduce racism and improve race relations. The NLC Racial Justice and Race Relations Project is supported by a grant from the Ford Foundation. Some of the projects objectives are to conduct a broad information outreach strategy, research and development, and to create materials and workshops to help local leaders become more effective in addressing racism. In addition the NLC has released a revised resource book for cities entitled "Promoting Racial Justice: A Workbook for Cities." The book can be used as a guide to give cities new ideas and tips on how to promote racial justice in their communities. In addition to the new workbook the NLC also has another guidebook entitled "Ensuring Racial Equality: Resources for Local Officials." The books can be downloaded from the NLC website at http://www.nlc.org. The National League of Cities is the nation's oldest and largest municipal organization with a membership of nearly 1,800 cities and towns of all sizes. All of the nation's 49 state municipal associations are members of NLC. Visit http://www.nlc.org. For more information on the NLC Race Equality Week or to request an interview with NLC Members please contact John Pionke at 202-626-3051 or e-mail John at Pionke@nlc.org |