ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — After a year and a half of work, the Community Reparations Commission has released its first draft of recommendations.
The commission was created in March 2022 with members appointed by the Asheville City Council and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners with the goal of making significant progress toward repairing damages caused by systemic racism.
The commission has been meeting since April 2022 to establish recommendations that are aligned with its five main impact focus areas.
Those focus areas, along with a few examples of their recommendations, include:
Criminal justice
- Eliminating racial disparities in the courts
- Allocate funding to support Blacks who have been involved in the criminal justice system
Economic development
- Creating an economic development center for Black Asheville
- Providing grants for Black-owned businesses
Education
- Adding community-based out-of-school educational opportunities for Black youths
Health and wellness
- Fund Black-owned and Black-led health centers and healing spaces
Housing
- Plan and develop communities on reparations land
Click here for a full look at all of the recommendations.
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Commission member Keith Young said the recommendations have not come without challenges — the latest of which happened at Monday’s meeting.
“While it has been an incredible honor to be a member of this effort, it has become evident through these several months that my involvement is not having the intended impact for the movement of this very important work,” said Christine Edwards, who is now the former project manager.
Edwards said she will be taking a step back from the position and will instead serve as the administrative support manager.
“I believe in reparations for African Americans — period, and I will continue to support reparations in Asheville, Buncombe County and other capacities,” she said.
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Young said the commission has a lot of work to do and it would not stop there.
“I know what it means to be Black in this city just like everybody else does — to never get a shot, to never have a chance, to never have anything go your way, to have stuff taken away from you,” Young said.
Having two project managers step down has impacted the commission’s work, Young said.
“This marks the second instance where a project manager has had to step down, which raises concerns about the impact on the timeline for the commission’s total objectives,” he said.
He said the frequent changes are not only a distraction but also a disruption to the work commission members are trying to do.
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Young said final recommendations are supposed to be complete by April, which may not be a realistic timeline.
“It’s crucial to acknowledge the fine line between a genuine sense of urgency to bring about change and a false sense of urgency, which is also associated with the systemic norms,” he said.
Young said the commission has a plethora of recommendations and members have only begun to scratch the surface.
“The recommendations that you may see, it’s only the tip of the iceberg,” he said.
The commission is also asking the community to get involved by attending meetings every third Monday of the month at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville. It is also asking for the community’s input on the first draft of recommendations. To send your input to the commission, click here.