Millbrae Named Runner Up In National League Of Cities Award For Innovative Diversity Programs

Press release from the City of Millbrae:

March 22, 2021

Millbrae, CA – The National League of Cities honored the City of Millbrae as the runner up for the 2021 Cultural Diversity Awards thanks to the city’s work with the newly formed Anti-Racist Coalition (ARC) to promote racial equity and social justice within the city.

ARC is a grassroots organization that Millbrae citizens formed to raise awareness, educate, and inspire united community action through events centered on social justice and racial equity.

“We are honored to be recognized by the National League of Cities for our social justice efforts and want to thank our ARC members for all of the outstanding work they have put forth to help our community,” said City of Millbrae Mayor Ann Schneider. “We are committed to continuing this essential effort and to working in partnership with the voices of the local community to listen, educate, and inform.”

Last summer, the City worked closely with ARC to organize a 200+ person march, demanding policy changes and equality for all people by highlighting the centuries of injustice towards black people in this country.

Since then, the social justice organization has grown to 100+ active members and supporters in Millbrae. They have worked with the City to conduct several Town Hall meetings on racial equity and have continued to organize outreach campaigns to cultivate awareness around systematic oppression and racism towards Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC).

“If we’re going to move towards a society that’s free of discrimination and one that’s free of social injustice, these conversations we’re having at a local level are extremely important.” said Joy Pasamonte Henry, one of the organizers of Millbrae ARC. “We are proud of the steps we’ve taken over the past year and are grateful to be recognized for our efforts. We look forward to continuing this important work with the City for years to come.”

The City of Millbrae was chosen from over 50 communities that submitted applications for the 2021 awards. Submissions for the awards program were grouped by size, and evaluated for creativity, impact on the community and scope of the program.

“NLC is proud to celebrate the City of Millbrae and their commitment to building a welcoming and inclusive community,” said NLC President Kathy Maness, Councilmember from Lexington, SC. “The Cultural Diversity Awards are a key part of NLC’s work to recognize innovative programs by local leaders.”

Awardees were recognized at NLC’s virtual Congressional City Conference. To learn more about NLC Cultural Diversity Award winners, visit nlc.org.

This press release was produced by the City of Millbrae. The views expressed here are the author’s own.