The National League of Cities (NLC) has selected four municipalities as the winners of its 2023 Cultural Diversity Awards program. Awardees were recognized at NLC’s annual Congressional City Conference in Washington, D.C., and were celebrated for developing innovative programs demonstrating cultural diversity and promoting inclusive resident involvement.
Submissions for the awards program were grouped by city population and evaluated for creativity, community impact, and program scope. The winning communities were selected from more than fifty municipalities across the country that applied:
2023 Diversity Award Winners
POPULATION OF 500,001 AND ABOVE
City of Albuquerque, NM: Office of Equity & Inclusion
POPULATION OF 200,001-500,000
City of San Bernardino, CA: San Bernardino Festival: Where Our Cultures Connect
POPULATION OF 50,001-200,000
City of South San Francisco, CA: Cultures United
POPULATION UNDER 50,000
City of Myrtle Beach, SC: City of Myrtle Beach’s Office of Diversity Equity & Inclusion
“Creating diverse and inclusive programs within our communities is a key element to making our residents feel included and supported,” said NLC President and Mayor of Tacoma, WA, Victoria Woodards. “The innovative programs implemented in these cities showcase significant progress toward equitable communities and promote the importance of diversity, representation, and belonging. I applaud each of these municipalities for leading by example and their dedicated efforts to advancing cultural diversity.”
In addition to the top four winners, NLC also recognized four second-place winners, who received honorable mentions for their community leadership and contributions to promoting diversity.
Second Place Winners
POPULATION OF 500,001 AND ABOVE
City of Austin, TX: Cultural Funding Review Process
POPULATION OF 200,001-500,000
City of Winston-Salem, NC: Building Integrated Communities
POPULATION OF 50,001-200,000
City of Tempe, AZ: Hometown for All
POPULATION UNDER 50,000
City of Benicia, CA: From Just Us to Justice: A Community Equity Challenge
The City Cultural Diversity Awards are held annually and hosted jointly by all the NLC Constituency Groups.