Mayor Greg Pettis has been appointed to the National League of Cities (NLC) 2019 Race, Equity and Leadership (REAL) council. The council will work to strengthen the leadership capacity of local elected officials to eliminate racial disparities, heal racial tensions and build more equitable communities.
The appointment was announced by NLC President Karen Freeman-Wilson, mayor, Gary, Indiana on December 19, 2019.
As a REAL council member, Mayor Pettis will play a key role in shaping NLC’s policy positions and advocate on behalf of America’s cities and towns before Congress, with the administration and at home.
REAL is NLC’s effort to equip its membership with the capacity to respond to racial tensions in their communities and address the historical, systemic and structural barriers that further inequity and racism in our nation’s cities. Systemic, institutional racism and bias have had negative impacts on public policy. A focus on racial equity provides NLC the opportunity to align its unique strengths and resources across the organization to proactively prepare city leaders to apply a racial equity lens to policies, initiatives, programs and budgets. A racial equity lens offers city leaders the opportunity to create meaningful conversations and take action by assessing the ways in which municipal government can both benefit and burden racially diverse communities.
