Commission member MZ Yehudah cut right to the point at a recent meeting of the Community Reparations Commission. “Are reparations for Black Asheville legally defensible?” The answer, according to city and county attorneys, is complicated.
Tag: Community Reparations Commission
Showing 1-21 of 28 results
Reparations commission discusses accountability as deadline nears
As a deadline nears for the Community Reparations Commission, pressure mounts for the group to finalize its recommendations for how the City of Asheville and Buncombe County governments can make amends to their Black residents.
Letter: Reparations Commission deserves more time to do its work
“The government should be doing all it can to support the commission in crafting recommendations to repair harm from the centuries of damage done by our government and society to Black people.”
Cease Harm Audit shows lack of equity data in Asheville, Buncombe governments
At a Community Reparations Commission meeting March 18, the Carter Development Group identified four themes and outlined 10 “high priority” recommendations for actions local governments should take to cease harm to their Black residents.
Reparations commission hears preliminary results of harm audit
The Stop the Harm Audit’s key overall findings revolve around the availability of data, equity training, affordable housing and hiring practices, according to the presentation by Adrian Carter, project lead and founder of the Carter Development Group.
Year in Review: Education, equity and rising costs define quality of life in 2023
Pay for educators, equity for underrepresented populations and housing affordability, as well as nationwide inflation, underpinned efforts to improve the quality of life for Asheville-area residents in 2023, as expressed by Xpress’ Year in Review survey of engaged citizens and leaders.
Reparations Commission discusses proposal for Black education resource campus
A joint recommendation drawn up by education and economic development focus groups from the commission focused primarily on what facilitators called an “education resource campus” to provide a place where Black folks know they could access resources.
Buncombe to seek competitive bids for trash service
After existing provider WastePro proposed rate hikes as part of its contract renewal, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Nov. 21 to seek alternative providers on the open market.
Letter: A fatal flaw in the Reparations Commission
“There are numerous fatal flaws in this misguided creation, but the big one is that it is running in direct opposition to the hard-won progress of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.”
Reparations commission releases initial recommendations
After 18 months of meetings and nearly $500,000 spent, Asheville’s reparations commission — tasked with making recommendations for restitution for generations of racial injustice — has now lost its second project manager in a year. Additionally, the commission is asking for more time to draft its final recommendations.
Buncombe commissioners consider morning meetings
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will reconsider changing the time of some government meetings after a survey of residents revealed a majority in favor of a new schedule. According to a proposal attached to the board’s agenda for Tuesday, July 18, the board’s first meeting each month would move to 10 a.m., preceded by […]
Buncombe considers partnership for new county park
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners may partner with a conservation nonprofit to acquire 342 acres on Deaverview Mountain for a county park at its regular meeting Tuesday, April 18.
Buncombe commissioners reckon with racial disparities in education
Just 11% of Black students in grades 3-8 at Asheville City Schools scored as proficient in math, with 13% proficient in reading. Rates were somewhat better in the county system, with 21% of Black pupils proficient in both subjects, but still fell well below those of white, Hispanic and Asian students.
Buncombe board to vote on support for reparations audit
On Tuesday, Feb. 7 — the same night the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will issue its proclamation for Black Legacy Month — its members will vote on approving a racial equity audit of Asheville and Buncombe government requested by the Community Reparations Commission.
Council to consider reparations commission audit request Jan. 24
The reparations commission unanimously approved a recommendation for the city of Asheville and Buncombe County to “stop further harm” to the Black community by “ceasing the repetition of institutional processes that lead to racially disparate outcomes.” The audit is meant to ensure that such harms have actually ceased and that local governments are in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Reparations commission requests audit
The proposed audit, presented to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 17, would look at whether the city and county are complying with “federal and state laws, regulatory bodies, codes of conduct, court orders and consent degrees,” with a focus on damage caused to the Black community by noncompliance.
Around Town: Literary series will focus on trees, nature in Jewish poetry
Yetzirah will present a reading featuring three Jewish poets. Plus, Artéria Collective students will document the reparations process, Asheville Junior Theater will put on Peter Pan Jr. and a Tyger Tyger exhibition will focus on the night.
Year in Review: Historians consider local historical events from 2022
Reparations, the Vance Monument and the future of Pack Square Plaza are on the minds of local historians, as 2022 comes to a close.
Buncombe tests and tweaks Code Purple plan
As presented to the county Board of Commissioners Nov. 15 by Jennifer Teague, Buncombe’s aging and adult services program manager, the Asheville-Buncombe County Homeless Coalition called the first Code Purple of 2022 on Oct. 15 — the first day this year’s program went into effect. After evaluating the results of that first night, the coalition decided to extend entry times for Code Purple shelters.
Commissioners consider equity through reparations, property taxes
The county’s ad hoc reappraisal committee, tasked with reviewing allegations that Buncombe’s tax assessment process was unfair to low-income residents and communities of color, presented its recommendations to the board. And commissioners approved annual funding for reparations, honoring a request from the joint Asheville-Buncombe Community Reparations Commission.
County reappraisal committee presents July 19
A 10-month review, designed to address citizen complaints and equity concerns about Buncombe County’s approach to property assessment, is scheduled to conclude at the Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday, July 19.