The focus of each year's award is based on the topic of that year's Futures Report. Recipients are honored each year at the Congress of Cities. All entries for the 2000 Innovation Awards must be received by July 14, 2000. To find out more about the 1999 winners go to News and Events section. This topic is very important to me and I established it as a top priority of my NLC presidency.
Racism is a major problem in and for America's cities and towns.
A fundamental challenge in the new millennium is to once and for all leave racism behind and to work together across the lines of color and ethnicity to build a successful future for everyone in America's cities and towns. Over the past year, the Advisory Council has held several meetings on this often difficult topic. Advisory Council members concluded that racism is a problem that all local officials must address, regardless of the racial or ethnic composition of their city or town. As a first step in this process, the Futures Report urges municipal officials across the United States to accept that we are all a part of the problem of racism and that no community is immune. The Futures Report strongly encourages local elected officials to recognize that they have the power and the obligation to take action to dismantle racism in their community, region, and throughout the country.