I have been a member of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church-USA (GCPC) for 25 years and a member of our Power and Race Team (PART) since its inception eight years ago. We center the work of dismantling, disrupting and divorcing ourselves from the ways white supremacy culture shows up in our bodies, our relationships, our communities and our church. This is the work of our church. We believe it is the work of the Church with a capital “C.” Our pastor is the Rev. Marcia Mount Shoop.
I have attended the Community Reparations Commission meetings over the past two years as a member of GCPC and PART. I have shown up to say GCPC fully supports this sacred work of naming the harms stemming from white supremacy and the racial disparities created by the systems and structures built by white supremacy culture — in accumulating generational wealth, in accessing health care, education, housing and employment. GCPC and PART also support the necessary work of identifying policies that are steeped in white supremacy and harmful to Black bodies.
The commissioners have seen and felt the harm, gathered critical data and relevant information, consulted with their communities and have formed 39 reparative recommendations ready to be submitted to the Asheville City Council and Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church firmly believes it is time for these entities to address the pervasive anti-Black racism by approving these recommendations and providing reparations.
GCPC stands with the Community Reparations Commission.
— Liz Huesemann
Asheville
The devil is in the details … but I rarely hear any. Multi year community improvement funds seem reasonable to me. Payments to individuals seem ABSURD. I can here it now: “This is SO UNFAIR … Uncle Joe lived 85 years in Asheville and died 2 weeks before the payable date. And his great-great granddaughter was born 2 weeks after. So she doesn’t get none either. ” Do people who hear that such a plan is about to pass and flock to Asheville to “cash – in” get to cash in? How about an 80 year old grandmother who lived 78 years in Asheville but moved in with her 55 year old daughter in Charlotte when she was having age related difficulty living by herself?
Ok, except that this kind of taxpayer THEFT is highly RACIST and illegal according to the Rule of Law. But, we’re good with RACIST Presbyterians, aren’t we ?
GCPC has the right to hand out $1,000 dollar bills in any neighbor they want. Just get started.
Racism is racism is racism. Rationalizing that it’s okay to give money only to people of one skin color because of…well anything…is just lipstick on the racism pig.
The list of “recommendations” from these committees are almost all obviously illegal. The letter writer is free to give up to $18,000 per year tax free to anyone she chooses. Feel free to get started