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Mayor James Perkins, Jr., established a community outreach program to educate residents about the city’s policies and services.  Trust Build sends community outreach workers into the neighborhoods to identify issues and deliver information.  The city was divided into separate zones and each area was assigned to a team of city staff and police officers.  These teams conduct door-to-door visits to interview residents about their needs, give out information about city programs, and tell residents about related policies.   This effort is intended to improve responsiveness and enhance the community’s trust in government agencies.

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Since 2001, the city of Anchorage has focused its efforts and energies on addressing issues of racial and ethnic relations.  Upon taking office, Mayor Mark Begich elevated the city's Office of Equal Opportunity to the Mayor's Office to give it greater stature and authority.  The three major goals of the office have been to increase the appreciation and celebration of the diversity in Anchorage, to broaden the diversity of the municipal workforce, and to encourage the continuation of partnerships with local agencies and business including disadvantaged, minority, and women-owned businesses.

Various city efforts to promote diversity include:

• Anchorage Neighborhood Police and Fire Applicant School :  Believing that local police and fire departments are best served by a diverse workforce, the Mayor's office has formed partnerships with the Anchorage police and fire departments as well as a variety of local ethnic organizations.  These groups have worked together to develop and coordinate applicant schools whose mission is to increase the diversity within the Police and Fire Departments in Anchorage.  The aim of these applicant schools is to increase minority applications for police and fire positions and to increase communication and cooperation between minority citizens and the police and fire departments. 
• Anchorage Equal Rights Commission's Standing Committee on the Promotion of Tolerance and Diversity's Hate Crimes Task Force:  This committee has been studying hate crimes in Anchorage and other communities' successful responses to hate crimes.  They have developed a community education and awareness program to respond to and prevent hate crimes and present their education program throughout Anchorage over the next nine months.  After a series of hate crimes against Alaska natives in the city, Anchorage is also working toward amending Anchorage Municipal Code to add a new section providing for hate crimes as an aggravating factor in sentencing.   
• Municipal Employee's Diversity Council:  The city's Diversity Council provides training to municipal employees and recommends procedures to promote diversity in the city government.
• Diversity Town Hall Gatherings:  These gatherings are an opportunity for community members to obtain information and discuss and assist in resolving common problems.
• Mayor's Diversity Week:  This initiative, launched in 2004, is an annual campaign to bring leaders and representatives from cultural, community, business, civic, religious and school-based organizations together to host events that combat bias and promote a respect for diversity.  In addition to music, storytelling and dancing from various ethnic groups in the city, 2006 events included: 
  • Training:  Cultural Communications Training; Training on Increasing Communication and Understanding between Minority Citizens and Police
  • Discussion Forums:  Immigration and Anchorage; Confronting the Stigma of HIV/AIDS; Veterans Affairs; Reducing Minority Over-Representation in the Juvenile Justice System
  • Seminars and Clinics:  Fair Housing; Increasing Workplace Diversity

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To honor their Hispanic founders, the City of Chandler celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month through events like folklorico dance workshops (traditional Mexican folk dance), an educational forum and college night, a Hispanic book and author signing workshop, Miss Mariachi Pageant and other activities.  Since 2001, the city has continually funded the Special Events Sponsorship Program, which supports events that provide cultural and educational enrichment, highlight the community’s diversity, heritage, and community pride, or enhance economic vitality.  This program funded 10 groups in 2005, including the Chandler Lions Club for a 4th of July celebration, the South Chandler Self Help Foundation for a Black History celebration and the Tribal Council of Arizona for the Miss Indian Arizona Pageant.

Currently, the City of Yuma builds inclusiveness through such programs and events as the Yuma Coalition to End Homelessness; interaction with Sister Cities San Luis Rio, (Colo.) and Mexicali (Mexico); the Martin Luther King, Jr. Service Day; the Neighborhood Leadership Academy and numerous cultural activities and performances.
In February 2007, Yuma will open the Stewart Vincent Wolfe Memorial Creative Playground, which will be built through a collaboration of municipal and private resources and volunteers, and is based on design input from more than 5,000 Yuma-area school children.

"We are very proud of Yuma's already diverse population and our current work to celebrate it," said Yuma City Administrator Mark Watson, following action by the Yuma City Council in late September to join NLC's effort.  "The Inclusive Communities Partnership will help our city make sure we continue to reach out to all our citizens, increase involvement by a wider representation of citizens and find new ways to embrace our unique diversities."

Launched in March 2006, the Partnership for Working Toward Inclusive Communities has grown to include 100 cities in less than nine months, signifying municipal leaders' recognition that ensuring all citizens feel they are valued is vital for the health and well-being of a community. Most of these cities have posted large-scale street signs stating, "Welcome. We are building an inclusive community", as a public symbol of their pledge to continually address issues of inclusiveness. The current list of partnership members represents the diversity and inclusiveness the program aims to foster, with members cities of varied sizes, demographics, geographic locations and economic situations.

The National League of Cities is the nation's oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 U.S. cities, towns and villages, which collectively serve 218 million people.

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The City of Brea has incorporated the Inclusive Communities philosophy into its long-range planning processes, community assistance programs, affordable housing, citizen education and involvement, and financial assistance for children's programs.  This comprehensive approach for building an inclusive community includes the following programs:

• The Family Resource Center, a city entity, works with over 40 private and not-for-profit organizations to bring families helpful assistance such as counseling, ESL classes, adult education, parent education, financial education, health screenings, and other services, mostly free.  The Family Resource Center runs on a $ 220,000 budget (2006-2007) and is overseen by a broad-based Advisory Council, charged with making decisions on services.
• Housing Breans, a broad-based board of community residents, provides input regarding the City's housing efforts, reviews affordable housing projects and policies and promotes new opportunities for increasing the affordable housing stock available in the City.
• Shaping Downtown, a community event established in 1989, was designed to update residents and businesses on the status of the City's revitalization project of the historic downtown core.
• Brea 101 is a citizen education program designed to provide Brea residents and businesses with an in-depth look at their city government.  The free series features speakers from every department, covering key city functions like police, fire and emergency preparedness, community services, development, maintenance, finance, public information and economic development.
• The Helping Hands Scholarship enables youth from low income families to participate in City recreational and cultural activities.  Children who might otherwise be left out may be subsidized for swim lessons, dance classes, tutoring, sports and many other healthy activities.
• City Culture refers to the City's active commitment to design future programs and services to include a broad-base representation of the residents they are serving.

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Mayor Steve Burkholder has charged a 21-member commission with assessing the city’s ability to meet the needs of all of its residents.  This year, the Commission on Cultural Diversity and Human Relations is conducting an audit to identify new community needs and ways to address them.  Mayor Burkholder says when the commission started, it was initially charged with facilitating a dialogue about diversity to promote greater cultural understanding.  That effort ultimately led to the current project, which aims at improving governance by looking at inclusiveness and diversity.  Mayor Burkholder says “we have asked our commission to take a look at the benchmarks set by NLC’s Partnership for Working Toward Inclusive Communities to see how we are doing in meeting those goals.  Once we get that report we will come back and re-assess how we can meet those needs.”  The commission’s work has already demonstrated fruitful results.  By seeking advice from key leaders not normally involved in the city government, the entire community benefits from valuable advice and a greater quality of democracy.  Ultimately, the report will provide guidance for the Council to continue meeting the needs of the entire community.   

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Town Manager Matthew W. Coppler has prioritized families and service accessibility in the Town of Enfield. The Strengthening Families Program is designed to help families with children between the ages of 10-14 to develop appropriate strategies to strengthen their family through weekly dinner, concurrent group sessions for parents and youth, babysitting for younger siblings, and family sessions. The Rotary Garden Project brings together community members and school age volunteers to cultivate the plants as well as community spirit, while providing fresh produce to the Enfield Food Shelf. The Enfield Police Explorers Program offers the opportunity for male and female students age 14 to 18 to learn about the law enforcement profession while performing volunteer services to the community. By joining the Partnership for Working Toward Inclusive Communities, the town of Enfield has pledged to make the community open and accessible to all. 

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The City of Greenacres supports a number of community programs and social events to support the needs of its diverse population.  The Paint Your Heart Out program provides assistance to low-income homeowners, especially those who are elderly or disabled, including free paint, materials and volunteer labor, for homes in need of exterior painting and minor repair work.  Additionally, the city participates in the Great American Clean-up Day, which involves thousands of volunteers of all ages across America, in an effort to remove litter and illegal dumping from neighborhoods, roadways, waterways, parks,  schools and other urban areas. 

Other programs and events include:

• Arbor Day Celebration: a nationally celebrated observance to encourage tree planting and care.
• Neighborhood Improvement Program (NIP): provides assistance to City residents from designated neighborhoods to fund projects or activities that improve the quality of life in the city.
• Senior Meal Program: a service delivered by the Palm Beach County Division of Senior Services, Senior Congregate Meal Program. 
• CARES Program -- Grades K-5: year-round childcare program for elementary age youth provides organized recreational and cultural activities and academic support.
  Cool Zone Program -- Grades 6-8: this after school program for middle school youths provides evening programs including field trips and academic assistance.
• Hot Spot Program -- Grades 9-12: this program is designed for high school students ages 14-17 and includes sports, video games, tournaments, college campus tours, guest speakers and other activities. 
  

• Added a regular column to the City's newsletter "The Palm Coaster," titled "Diversity is Our Strength," pointing out the history of different cultural groups in the City of Palm Coast.
• In June/July 2006 this column described how the African American community has built institutions such as the Palm Coast's African American Caribbean Heritage Organization and Palm Coast's African American Cultural Society.
  

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To advance its dialogue on race relations, Atlanta GA took back a piece missing history this September by solemnly commemorating the centennial anniversary of Atlanta's 1906 Race Riot. This violent episode started on the evening of September 22, 1906, when a mob of over 5,000 young white men marched into the city, assaulting blacks at random. 

Throughout the following four days, the City of Atlanta spiraled down into one of its darkest moments, leaving between 25 and 40 African Americans and two whites dead and many more injured. The Centennial Remembrance, planned by the Coalition to Remember the 1906 Atlanta Race Riot, included exhibits and discussions at the M.L. King, Jr., National Historic Site, a candlelight vigil, march, speakers, walking tours and other events. 

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To recognize their participation in the NLC?s Partnership for Working Toward Inclusive Communities, the City of Moscow launched an inaugural celebration of Race Equality and Inclusive Communities Week in September 2006.

The celebration began with Human Rights Day and included a very popular soul food pot luck dinner.  During the week, all city staff participated in diversity training.

Other events taking place during the week included two panel discussions which served as open forums for community members to learn more and have candid discussions about diversity issues.  Francisco Salinas, the Director of Multicultural Affairs at the University of Idaho, presented and moderated a discussion on the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) which addresses the accessibility of education for non-citizens.  Andreen Neukranz-Butler, the University of Idaho's Human Rights Compliance Officer, moderated a discussion on the proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

The work of the city government's Human Rights Commission is central to Moscow's efforts to build an inclusive community.  This active commission aims to eliminate discrimination, improve human relations, and to recommend policies to the Mayor and City Council regarding the civic and human rights of Moscow's citizens.  The City of Moscow's Human Rights Commission also works closely with the City of Pullman, the Center for Health, Education and Economic Resources (CHEER), the University of Idaho, Washington State University and the YWCA of Washington State University to host an annual conference called "Finding the Center."  This action-oriented human rights conference offers workshops on such topics as "Challenging Hate and Stereotypes in a Time of Crisis," "Building Bridges: Reducing the Harmful Effects of Prejudice and Discrimination," and "Higher Bridges, Lower Walls: Using Social Justice Activities to Overcome Barriers" for community leaders and citizens.  The third annual conference will be held in 2007.

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Mayor Peterson is committed to the inclusion of all citizens of Indianapolis through municipal programs that ensure racial diversity and equality. Created in October 1992, the Commission on African American Males (ICAMM) addresses the conditions disproportionately affecting African-American males. ICAMM convenes services and networks in the areas of health, family, education, employment, and criminal justice. ICAMM has established stakeholder taskforces to research and develop recommendations for implementation and has developed action groups to work towards success in education, law, and community.

The Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) program provides opportunities for certified minority and women-owned businesses to receive a share of city contracts and subcontracts and introduces M/WBE firms to private business opportunities. More recently, Mayor Peterson established the Mayor's Commission on Latino Affairs that addresses accessibility issues of the Latino/Hispanic community, to create more welcoming and available social services.

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Once the Fort Riley Army Base was expanded 20 miles from their town, the City of Abilene joined the Partnership for Working Toward Inclusive Communities to increase efforts in meeting the needs of the new residents moving into their community. The Fort Riley Task Force was established to involve citizens and business owners in decisions concerning housing, growth management, regional presence and cooperation, and quality of life. Specifically, the Task Force called for funding several capital improvement projects, creating a local chapter of Habitat for Humanity, and establishing greater regional collaboration.  Additionally, the Task Force developed marketing to attract new residents, businesses and strategic investment into the community. The City of Abilene is committed to community involvement and will continue to welcome and accommodate new community members.

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Cambridge, Massachusetts, was recently honored as the most disability-friendly town in America, the top honor given by the National Organization on Disability (NOD). The panel of top disability advocates and experts was impressed with Cambridge’s considerate attitude and design. This is one of the many aspects that makes Cambridge an inclusive community. In addition, the Office of Affirmative Action is charged with ensuring equality throughout the city. They accomplish this goal by mediating conflicts and swiftly processing discrimination complaints and by guaranteeing that at least 10 percent of contract or sub-contract business is awarded to minority owned businesses. There is an advisory committee appointed by the City Manager to oversee Cambridge’s affirmative action plan. The committee, made up of residents, employees, and business partners, meets monthly to address issues of diversity and inclusiveness throughout the community. 

• The state of Massachusetts has adopted a selective certification process known as "Par 10" to help cities attain a workforce representative of the communities they serve.
• At the request of current Mayor Michael McGlynn, the City of Medford was the first city in the state to invoke Par 10 to fill vacant positions or make promotions in the Fire, Police and Public Works Departments.
• Par 10 is managed by the Massachusetts Human Resource Division's Civil Service Unit.

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• Implemented Kalamazoo's Equity Agenda to address issues such as re-development and social equality throughout the city.
• Created the Partners Building Community (PBC) initiative, a broad-based collaborative to focus on improving the quality of life in low-income neighborhoods.
• Organized the Summit on Racism to bring attention to institutionalized forms of racism and to highlight ways to improve race relations in the community.
• Community residents have formed the Kalamazoo Promise Scholarship, which funds 100% of post-secondary tuition for all Kalamazoo public school graduates who live within the city's jurisdiction.

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