Leaders at the Explore Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau are looking for new approaches to put the city on the map as a diverse destination by tapping into Asheville’s rich Black history and Black entrepreneurs.

Leaders at the Explore Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau are looking for new approaches to put the city on the map as a diverse destination by tapping into Asheville’s rich Black history and Black entrepreneurs.
Over the past year, the addition of such Black-owned businesses as the Noir Collective collaborative shop, Jawbreaking fashion store, Asheville Iridescence Yoga and Sole82 sneaker boutique has suggested a renaissance for the former Black Wall Street. Yet in a rapidly changing city where obstacles for minority entrepreneurs remain rampant, sustaining that growth could prove challenging.
Local artists and arts leaders discuss the state of racial justice in the creative community, one year after George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter protests.
Xpress reached out to four local racial justice organizers — all under 25 — to learn about their experiences and what has motivated them to act.
Xpress spoke with Asheville community members to learn how they’re finding moments of joy amid an unrelenting pandemic and the latest incident of an unarmed Black man killed by a white officer.