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The City of Durham recently received national recognition for its cultural diversity efforts as part of the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference held in Washington, D.C.

The City recently received "runner up" for the Annual City Cultural Diversity Award in honor of the Mayor's Hispanic/Latino Initiative from the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO) of the National League of Cities.

The award, given to cities that work to improve and promote cultural diversity in their communities, recognized Mayor William V. "Bill" Bell's Hispanic/Latino Initiative Program. This program, created in July 2002 and facilitated by the City's Department of Human Relations, was developed as a result of major concerns over the disproportionate number of Hispanic victims involved in violent crimes. Through this program, representatives from the City and concerned Latino community leaders regularly meet to discuss this issue and generate solutions for these members of the community.

The award was presented at the Celebrate Diversity Breakfast, part of the NLC Congressional City Conference held on March 13, 2006, in Washington, DC. In addition to Durham, other cities recognized for their cultural diversity programs were Louisville, Ky.; Little Rock, Ark.; Federal Way, Wash.; Enterprise, Ala.; West Palm Beach, Fla.; and Phoenix, Ariz.

Established in 1970 to advocate the interests of African-American local elected officials, NBC-LEO annually sponsors the diversity awards to promote cultural diversity in community governance through citizen and community participation. Winners were selected from a pool of applicants from NLC member cities that promote diversity.

To learn more about the Mayor's Hispanic/Latino Program, visit the City's website.

About the City of Durham's Department of Human Relations
The City's Department of Human Relations works to improve race and human relations in the City of Durham by working to eliminate discrimination in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodations; and by prioritizing community outreach and educational activities to meet the needs of Durham's citizens. To learn more about this department, visit the City's website.