Spotlight on Wilmington at the National League of Cities Conference
CDC Final Report and Recommendations Garner Praise from Organizers and Attendees
During last week’s National League of Cities (NLC) Congressional City Conference in Washington, DC — in the presence of NLC President Matt Zone, councilmember from Cleveland, and NLC CEO and Executive Director Clarence E. Anthony — Wilmington City Council President Hanifa Shabazz, in her role as President of the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO), presented the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Community Advisory Council’s final report and recommendations to more than 150 local elected officials and professional municipal workers from across the country.
“Whether you are from a college town, a military community, a large city, a small town, or a suburb, youth violence by guns is a national epidemic,” said President Shabazz. “I couldn’t ask for better platform to share the work we are doing in Wilmington than the National League of Cities — an organization dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities.”
At the meeting, Anthony spoke about potential partnerships with grassroots groups, including the CDC Community Advisory Council, that are working to make communities safer by engaging stakeholders on issues like youth gun violence. NLC provides a platform to share best practices, tools and resources for America’s 19,000 cities, towns and villages.
“Local officials are leading the effort to make our communities safer for all our residents — but especially our youth. Wilmington provides a powerful example of what city leaders can do when they engage community stakeholders,” Anthony said.
“The work we’re doing in Wilmington will ultimately serve as a model or blueprint for other municipalities to follow,” said President Shabazz. “With NLC’s support and resources, we can arm our colleagues from California to Florida and everywhere in between with the tools necessary to address the root causes of this epidemic and begin to change lives, save families and build safer, stronger communities across the nation.”
For more information about this news release, contact:
Antoine L. Oakley
Director of Communications
Wilmington City Council
Phone: (302) 576-2140
Email: aloakley@WilmingtonDE.gov