During nearly two decades, NLC has engaged in specific activities focused on helping local officials improve race relations, reduce racism, and achieve racial justice. 

From 1990-1993, NLC addressed the topics of Diversity and Governance through its City Futures Process -- a three-year cycle of study, reporting, and action devoted to a topic of significant import to America's cities and towns.  The results of the Futures Process were a report, Diversity and Governance: Changing Populations and the Futures of Cities and Towns, a commitment to spotlighting this topic, and an agenda for future NLC work.

NLC conducted a project on Diversity and Local Government from 1993 to 1998, funded by grants from the Ford, George Gund, AT&T, and Fannie Mae Foundations, and additional funding provided by the Philip Morris Companies and the National League of Cities.  This project included training and education efforts for local officials, publications, and modest technical assistance to four cities -- New Haven, Connecticut; Jackson, Tennessee; Columbus, Ohio; and Wichita, Kansas.

The issue of racism, in particular, was again the focus of NLC's Futures Process from 1998-2000.  Former Wichita, Kansas, Mayor Bob Knight adopted the theme of "Undoing Racism" for his tenure upon election as NLC 2nd-Vice President in 1998, and carried that theme and agenda through to his year as NLC President in 2000.  A series of discussions among city officials, focusing on racial tensions, were held in 1999 to help identify key points of conflict and sensitivity.  The substance of those discussions was highlighted in NLC's 1999 Futures Report, Undoing Racism: Fairness and Justice in America's Cities and Towns (pdf).  The report included a frank discussion of the problem of racism and offered specific suggestions to local elected officials about how they can begin to address this issue in their communities.  President Knight then took the discussion to city officials and other organizations around the country as he traveled and delivered speeches in his presidential year (2000). 

From 1999-2001, NLC conducted another multi-year project, the Campaign to Promote Racial Justice on racial and ethnic relations funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.  This project focused on education about racial and ethnic issues for local officials and was designed to follow up on the work conducted through the Futures Process.

From 2001 until 2005, NLC was engaged in a project called Reducing Racism and Achieving Racial Justice, funded by the Ford Foundation.  This project focused on strengthening the effectiveness of local government and the leadership capacity of local officials in reducing racism and achieving racial justice.  The project also provided support to the city of Selma, Alabama, for development of processes of city-wide citizen engagement around race relations issues.

Based on research in 2002-03 which produced the Futures Report, Divided We Fall: Inequality and the Future of America's Cities and Towns (2003), NLC launched the Campaign to Resurrect the American Dream.  The agenda of Charles Lyons, NLC's 2004 President and Selectman from Arlington, MA, encouraged local officials to create practical strategies that build a middle class, create opportunity and reduce inequalities.


Partnership for Working Toward Inclusive Communities
The agenda of NLC's 2006 President, Jim Hunt, Councilmember, Clarksburg, WV, is a partnership of cities and towns committed to promoting inclusion. The Partnership is an on-going NLC project.

Inclusive Communities Partnership