HomeMy WebLinkAbout031014_Renton Wins National Award for Diversity Program
website: rentonwa.gov
City of Renton - 1055 South Grady Way
Renton, WA 98057
March 10, 2014
For more information contact:
Preeti Shridhar, Deputy Public Affairs Administrator, 425-430-6569
City of Renton Wins National Diversity Award
Diversity Program Wins 1st Place in the 2014 City Cultural Diversity Award by National League of Cities
RENTON: The City of Renton has been recognized by the National League of Cities and the National Black
Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO) at the 2014 City Cultural Diversity Awards for “Embracing Our
Diversity” program. The city won first place in the 25,000-100,000 population category. In total, eight cities
were honored on March 1, 2014, for implementing programs that enhance and promote cultural diversity in
communities. The City Cultural Diversity Awards recognize municipal programs that encourage citizen
involvement and show an appreciation of cultural diversity through a collaborative process with city officials,
community leaders and residents.
“It is an honor to be recognized on the national stage for our efforts to expand and enhance diversity and
inclusion in our city and wider community,” said Mayor Denis Law. “In Renton we value diversity as the core
of what and who we are and commit to be an all-inclusive city that provides opportunities, access and services
to all of our citizens. This award is a testament to our accomplishments and the difference we are making.”
The city launched its diversity program in 2008, and made it a priority to embrace the diversity of its
community, create opportunities for all its citizens with a special emphasis to reach out to ALL communities
including non-English speaking residents and ethnic groups. The city created a network of community leaders
representing various ethnic, cultural and diverse groups, and has integrated the importance of diversity into all
its programs and services.
Some of the city’s accomplishments include:
Created a network of community liaisons representing various community groups. These
liaisons serve to represent their communities and be the link between the city and the
community groups by connecting their members with programs and services and other
information and resources.
Initiated conversations on race by facilitating workshops on race and offering free access
to the exhibit Race: Are we so different? to all city employees.
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Prioritized emergency preparedness for its diverse community: provided training,
distributed kits, and translated and distributed over 1,000 DVDs on emergency
preparedness to various non-English speaking members.
Promoted health through firefighters coordinating with the community liaisons to attend
their meetings and gatherings and provide free blood sugar and blood pressure screenings
to members of their diverse communities.
Addressed homelessness in the community by partnering with the Center of Hope and
providing a day shelter for women and children.
Offered free summer lunch to children from minority groups , non-English speaking
communities and low-income families.
Appointed members from the community liaison groups to serve on key citizen task forces.
Targeted ethnic media—newspapers, radio stations, the local Hispanic TV station—and
provided news releases and regular information.
Celebrated and showcased the city’s diversity by encouraging culturally diverse
celebrations in festivals and parades.
Assisted Small and minority businesses assistance by working with the Renton Chamber of
Commerce and Renton Technical College to create Renton’s Small Business Development
Center, which assisted nearly 115 businesses—45% minority owned.
Hosted community forums throughout the year with members of diverse communities that
are open to all members of the public.
“We thank the City of Renton for its important efforts to be inclusive of the diverse ethnic and cultural groups
in the city,” said National League of Cities Executive Director Clarence Anthony. “Strong, vibrant communities
are built by providing services and opportunities that reach everyone in a city, including those who do not
speak English as a first language.”
The City of Renton was recognized at the Celebrate Diversity Bre akfast in Washington D.C. Council President
Don Persson accepted the award this morning on behalf of the city.
The City Cultural Diversity Awards Program was established in 1995 by the National Black Caucus of Local
Elected officials (NBC-LEO) to promote cultural diversity in community governance through citizen and
community participation.
For information on the City of Renton please visit rentonwa.gov. For more information on the City Cultural
Diversity Awards, visit NBC-LEO’s website at www.nlc.org/nbcleo.
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