Diversity and Inclusion

Is the Census taking steps to count the millions of LGBTQ+ Americans overlooked?

The Census Bureau’s plans to test questions about sexual orientation and gender identity in the American Community Survey is the latest step in a years-long push to improve national data on LGBTQ+ people.

  • By Orion Rummler, The 19th

Job opportunities targeting workers with ADHD and autism gain traction

North Carolina wants to attract more neurodivergent people to IT work. It is one of many such initiatives in government.

  • By Stephanie Kanowitz

Emily’s List launches Madam Mayor program to support local women leaders

The initiative was launched in part in response to misinformation and disinformation targeting women candidates and officials.

  • By Grace Panetta, The 19th

How book-banning campaigns have changed the lives and education of librarians

COMMENTARY | Librarians are defending the rights of readers and writers in the battle raging across the U.S. over censorship, book challenges and book bans. That conflict has even changed how librarians are trained.

  • By Nicole Cooke, The Conversation

Harm of anti-LGBTQ laws includes economic pain for communities, families

So far in 2023, at least 70 anti-LGBTQ laws have been enacted across the states as LGBTQ individuals consider relocating to more inclusive areas for their safety and well-being.

  • By Casey Quinlan, States Newsroom

Anti-LGBTQ laws in the US are getting struck down for limiting free speech of drag queens and doctors

COMMENTARY | A number of judges who considered challenges to anti-LGBTQ legislation passed by state lawmakers in 2023 argue how the laws violate the First Amendment.

  • By Mark Satta, The Conversation

SCOTUS: Race cannot be considered in college admissions

The ruling will affect both public and private colleges and universities in states that have not already barred affirmative action in admissions.

  • By Kery Murakami

6 takeaways for the government workforce crisis

COMMENTARY | Public servants from coast to coast share their advice on how to successfully hire and retain government talent.

  • By Bob Lavigna

We’re Back! Our Grand Return to Live Events

Route Fifty and GCN will hit the road with a new free event series to explore how cities across the country are building their future today.

Tips for Winning Federal Transportation Grants

A Biden administration official had some advice for city leaders seeking funding for projects under the latest federal infrastructure law.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

A Recipe for Supporting Our Innovation Nation

COMMENTARY | How should the public and private sectors work together to ensure the U.S. remains the global leader in technology? Here are four key steps.

  • By Ahmad Thomas

Diversity of US Workplaces Is Growing in Terms of Race, Ethnicity and Age – Forcing More Employers to Be Flexible

COMMENTARY | Employers need good strategies to hire and retain more workers of color and older workers. The mandatory diversity training and requisite skills tests many of them now rely on don’t measure up.

  • By Adia Harvey Wingfield, The Conversation
Featured eBooks
Road and Transit Infrastructure Trends
Federal Recovery Funds at the State and Local Level
Infrastructure at a Turning Point

The New Federal Grants to Help Cities Ditch 'NIMBY'-backed Zoning

There’s $85 million available for communities that want to relax restrictions on the density and type of housing that can be built in certain neighborhoods, especially areas limited to single-family homes. Proponents say the changes could address both affordability and equity concerns.

  • By Kery Murakami

Building a More Diverse Public Sector Hiring Pipeline

Local governments are rethinking how they go about connecting with job candidates. “It’s just not enough to post a position and then say we have no qualified diverse talent,” says one official.

  • By Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene

Shifting Power Can Help Local Governments Partner With Communities to Achieve Racial Equity

COMMENTARY | City and county leaders should create more opportunities for people of color to participate in the policymaking process.

  • By Sonia Torres Rodríguez and John Sankofa

How Federal Infrastructure Funds Can Build More Accessible Transit Systems

COMMENTARY | By taking significant steps towards increasing accessibility, public transit systems will better incorporate equity and social mobility into their operations.

  • By Aline Frantzen

Why Local Action Is Important to Combat Police Brutality and Racial Injustice

COMMENTARY | George Floyd's brutal murder two years ago did not inspire bipartisan federal action. Cities have stepped up and are driving a range of reforms. 

  • By Clarence E. Anthony and Doug Linkhart

5 Things Women Job Seekers Want

Women want better pay and work-life balance but also value working in diverse organizations, among other factors, a new Gallup poll reveals.

  • By Andre Claudio

Turning Equity Into Action and Getting Results

COMMENTARY | Government leaders must translate racial equity from an aspirational value to specific, tangible operating principles. Recent affordable housing efforts offer valuable examples of equity in action at the local level.

  • By Jen Tolentino and Sophie Bergmann

How the Rise of Remote Work Intersects With Digital Equity

COMMENTARY | Reliable broadband access is essential to the success of remote worker programs, from the mountains of West Virginia to the rural towns of Oregon.

  • By Kylie Cannon

Making DEI the Cornerstone of the Public Finance Workforce

COMMENTARY | There is an opportunity to create a more diverse public finance sector with the expected increases in employee turnover in the coming years.

  • By Shawn T. Wooden