NLC Offers Race, Equity and Leadership Guidance
Yesterday, Clarence Anthony, CEO and Executive Director of our Federal partner the National League of Cities, sent a letter to all State municipal leagues and direct member communities offering support, encouragement and resources in dealing with chronic inequality in America.
‘We have a crisis of humanity in this country, and we’re seeing this crisis reach its boiling point right now,’ he wrote. ‘The current situation in America is not just about the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police officers. This is about communities that have been left behind for hundreds of years.
‘This is about the communities that have been hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is about a lack of hope and a lack of agency that is felt throughout the Black community. In the words of civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer, “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired” – that is the feeling of many African Americans in our nation. You ran for office and work in local government to make a difference in your community. Now, your residents are looking to you for answers, guidance and support. …
‘In 2014, the National League of Cities created our Race, Equity and Leadership department to strengthen local leaders’ knowledge and capacity to eliminate racial disparities and divisions and to build more equitable communities. …
‘Things will get better. However it is up to us to ensure that we make it better by working together.
NLC’s Race, Equity and Leadership resources include:
Responding to Racial Tension in Your City: A Municipal Action Guide. A guide that includes important contextual and tactical information to support your municipality’s efforts to respond effectively. LEARN MORE
Advancing Racial Equity in Your City: A Municipal Action Guide. Compiles six immediate steps for improving outcomes for all residents. LEARN MORE
Repository of City Racial Equity Policies and Decisions. Review examples of concrete policy and budgetary changes local elected officials have made to prioritize racial equity in their cities, towns, and villages. LEARN MORE
My Brother's Keeper Landscape. City leaders respond the My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge by tackling the disparities that face our nation’s boys and young men of color (BYMoC). LEARN MORE
City Profiles. Learn how 12 cities and their elected leaders around the country are advancing racial equity in their communities. LEARN MORE