Mayoral Views on Racism and Discrimination

On September 17, 2018, the National League of Cities (NLC) and the Boston University Initiative on Cities (IOC), with support from The Rockefeller Foundation,  released Mayoral Views on Racism and Discrimination. This new report, which draws on data from the 2017 Menino Survey of Mayors, explores how mayors of medium-sized and large cities understand race, discrimination and equity in their communities and on a national level.

The report cites three key findings:

• Mayors believe that the four groups most discriminated against in their cities and across the country are immigrants, transgender individuals, black people and Muslims. In relation to these group and others, mayors perceive far more discrimination in the country as a whole than in their own communities.
• Mayors believe that access to public services is significantly better for white people than for people of color, except for subsidized housing. More than half of all mayors report that white people have better access to jobs, educational opportunities, housing and healthcare, and are treated better by police and the courts.
• While mayors see disparities in access to services, they overwhelmingly believe that the quality of services is largely equal across different groups of people, except for educational services, which they think is worse for people of color.

The report also highlights several successful initiatives that cities, including Anaheim, Boston, Louisville and New Orleans, have undertaken in combating discrimination.

Read the full report: Mayoral Views on Racism and Discrimination

Online Press Briefing: September 17, 2018 at 2:00pm ET (register)