ICYMI, Buncombe County commissioners approved a countywide resolution supporting reparations for Black people on Tuesday night. The measure was passed 4-3 along party lines, with Democrats in support of it. This historic move comes three weeks after the Asheville City Council unanimously passed a similar resolution July 14. Wondering what the county’s resolution looks like? We’re breaking it down.
Like the city’s resolution, the county’s functions as a formal apology for slavery + the county’s role in it (e.g., enforcing racist policies — including the Urban Renewal Program which devastated + displaced Black neighborhoods — that have maintained racial discrimination + segregation for centuries).
The county’s measure will also appoint county representatives to take part in Asheville’s Community Reparations Commission, which was created by the city when it approved its own reparations solution last month. The Community Reparations Commission will help determine funding and offer recommendations for concrete ways the county can prioritize racial equity through investments in areas characterized by large racial disparities, like health care, home + business ownership, career opportunities, education, and the justice system. Neither the city nor county measures mandate direct payments.
Just before the reparations vote, another resolution — unanimously approved — declared racism a public health crisis in Buncombe County.
