Last June, Umoja debuted HOPE 4 the Future, a summer camp for children and teens. In its initial season, it served 78 youths.
Tag: race
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Former Asheville Council member sues city, Asheville City Schools Foundation over scholarships
A $10,000 scholarship for local Black students is the subject of a lawsuit by a group headed by a former Asheville City Council member. Carl Mumpower, president of WNC Citizens for Equality Inc. and a former chair of the Buncombe County Republican Party, filed a civil suit Oct. 11. It names the city of Asheville, […]
Harriet Tubman statue comes to Sylva
Western North Carolina is grappling with a controversial part of its history: monuments erected in commemoration of Confederate figures. In May, after months of debate and consideration by a specially appointed task force, Asheville began removing the Vance Monument, an obelisk honoring the late Confederate military officer and former Gov. Zebulon Baird Vance. And in […]
Q&A with Chief District Court Judge J. Calvin Hill
In June 1995, a young lawyer named J. Calvin Hill parked his car in downtown Asheville and walked toward the Buncombe County Courthouse. Hill, who had been working for several years as a defense attorney in eastern North Carolina, had been recruited by the Buncombe public defender’s office. As he strolled to his job interview […]
All’s fair
Carving it up
ASHEVILLE, NC
Place, race and poverty: Solutions start with valuing cultural realities
“Naming the history of a problem in our black community does not discount the experiences of our rural white communities. It’s not an either-or argument. It’s an “and” discussion. And white, rural communities suffer from food insecurity, too.”
A conversation with Clare Hanrahan
If you’ve ever driven past the Vance Monument during one of the many protests held there over the last 20 years, there’s a fair chance that Clare Hanrahan numbered among the folks making their voices heard. For the Asheville resident, writer and activist, visibility is a key tool in the fight against injustice. Hanrahan has […]
Race course
Discussion delves deeper into racial disparity in Asheville schools
The meeting this week at Hillcrest Community Center, presented by the school’s parent teacher organization (PTO), mirrored a Jan. 20 session that focused on what can be done to include every student, faculty member, staff and parent at Hall Fletcher Elementary School.
An open discussion about race in Asheville City Schools
Dierdre Gilmer, Hall Fletcher Elementary PTO president, said her organization initially looked for a grant in 2014 from the Asheville City Schools Foundation for racial equity training because they noticed parents weren’t being represented properly at PTO meetings. A new initiative could change that.
Mission Health takes aim at bias and disparity in health care
How does a culture combat an entity that cannot be seen? Start with awareness of the issue. “As humans, we all have bias,” says Dr. Rebecca Bernstein of Mission Health. “It doesn’t make us bad people, but when that bias affects how we make decisions, it can have adverse effects on our patients.” “We hope to help […]
In Photos: Asheville’s candelight vigil against ‘police brutality’
Amid national furor over high profile cases around the country in which unarmed black men were killed by police officers, local activists held a Dec. 7 candelight vigil against “police brutality” at the Vance Monument in downtown Asheville. Local photographer John Penley documented the gathering:
In photos: Asheville responds to Eric Garner decision
Protesters took to the streets in Asheville in the wake of the Dec. 3 grand jury decision not to indict NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo in the July 2014 death of Staten Island resident Eric Garner. (lead photo by John Penley)
Missing faces: Few minority students, faculty at UNCA
Last semester, minority students accounted for 11.9 percent of UNC Asheville’s total enrollment, according to statistics compiled by the school’s Office of Institutional Research. And though the numbers have fluctuated, recruiting and retaining minority students has been an ongoing problem for the school in recent years.
Green River Narrows Race names winners in seven categories
At noon this past Saturday, 121 racers set off down the Green River Narrows in Henderson and Polk Counties. Battling cold November waters, paddlers fought for the top times in seven different categories: Long K-1 (single paddler – long kayak), K-1W (single paddler – women’s division), C-1 (sprint canoe), K-1 hand paddlers, Short K-1, Short K-1W and open canoe.
The great divide: Issues of race, justice, opportunity discussed at YWCA election forum
The final question asked of Asheville’s two mayoral and five city council candidates did not focus on the usual inquires raised during this municipal election. It wasn’t about the economy. It wasn’t about jobs. It wasn’t about the police department — though it certainly touched on all of those topics. And it had nothing to do with the Asheville Art Museum. (Photo by Max Cooper)
Shaping the present: History of African American access to health care provides context for today
Beginning in 1890 and winding toward 1960, Sharon West’s presentation explored medical accessibility and access for African Americans in Buncombe County. However, she reveals that, in many ways, Buncombe still has a ways to go when it comes to diversity in the medical community. (Photo by Caitlin Byrd)
Locals take a ‘Stand Against Racism’
Events continue in Asheville this week with the aim of raising awareness about racism. (photo by Max Cooper)
Hot chocolate for cold hands
It’s too late to register for Isaac Dickson’s Hot Chocolate 10K, but it’s never too late to watch kids scramble up a 1K hill.
The Thomas Wolfe 8K wrap up
This year, the five-mile race, which takes its name from Asheville’s most famous writer, raised about $3,300 for charity. Xpress has the breakdown.