Special to The Chronicle

The City of Winston-Salem’s Cultural Inclusion Program received second place in the 2014 National League of Cities Cultural Diversity Awards Program for cities with a population of 100,001 to 400,000.

The award was announced last week during the NLC’s Congressional City Conference in Washington, D.C. Mayor James Walls of District Heights, Md. and the chair of the 2014 City Cultural Diversity Awards, called the program “a shining example of diversity and total community collaboration and partnership.”

The Cultural Inclusion Program is a city-wide initiative, created and led by the Human Relations Department, to implement the City Council’s strategic goal of supporting, including and encouraging international, multicultural residents to participate in civic affairs.

The program includes initiatives to better serve specific populations, such as the “Tu Comunidad” Spanish language television show and newsletters, and initiatives to promote diversity and cultural inclusion, such as the International Village festival and the annual Student Human Relations Awards. Other efforts include the Nexus television program, the Black History Month Showcase of Song, the Cultural Connections Film Series, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Young Dreamers Award.

Wanda Allen-Abraha, the director of human relations, said that the award is a welcome affirmation of the city’s efforts to encourage diversity.

“Our strength as a country comes from our diversity and the same holds true for our community,” she said. “Residents from other cultures bring unique strengths to our city and enrich our lives when we collectively understand that we are all more alike than we are different.”