“If you are like me and see the value in all people and would like to understand the problem better in hopes of doing better to create a new culture where racism is a thing of the past, then I invite you to join me for Justice in January.”

“If you are like me and see the value in all people and would like to understand the problem better in hopes of doing better to create a new culture where racism is a thing of the past, then I invite you to join me for Justice in January.”
“If we follow that logic, though, shouldn’t we also tear down Vance Elementary School rather than merely renaming it?”
“As we demonstrate for transformation of police departments, the removal of statues and other symbols of racism, remember that unequal health care delivery to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) is real, with lifelong and generational effects.”
“You cannot practice racism and bigotry and still call yourself a ‘patriot.'”
“Peace in Asheville has never been more important than in the year 2020.”
Asheville City Council unanimously adopted a resolution supporting reparations for Asheville’s Black community at its July 14 meeting. Members also moved to table a $83,000 contract with risk-management firm Hillard Heintze to investigate Asheville Police Department’s response to recent protests after listening to community concerns.
“The white-led action featured in your cover story was inspired by Black-led protests — which are the real story.”
“What’s next? Whites need to listen and learn about the roots of systemic racism and poverty.”
“My family may worry about our safety for a few weeks, but others in this country worry every single day — pandemic or not.”
“Segregation and economic apartheid have been standard operating procedure for all my life in Asheville, and that has not changed.”
How did Xpress readers process all the local news and changes this year? Here’s a look at the topics that generated the most commentaries, letters to the editor and online comments in Xpress in 2019.
The 10th Congressional District representative’s constituents challenged him on issues including climate policy, Israel-U.S. relations and the behavior of President Donald Trump at his annual Buncombe County town hall on July 31 at the Riceville Community Center.
“How despicable to think that a grown woman cannot make her own statement about her interpretation and experience regarding working with President Trump.”
“I was shocked and dismayed by the optics when, while watching the Michael Cohen congressional hearing, Mark Meadows, our own 11th District representative, paraded an African-American lady before the assemblage like a life-size cardboard cutout.”
“The only way we can ensure that everyone has the opportunity to achieve optimal health is to work together with a shared and well-coordinated commitment to improving our community’s health.”
“Somehow our country has devolved into a land that when we disagree with one another’s politics, race, gender preference or religious choice, some of us feel it’s all right to kill them. I missed the meeting when this was agreed on as a rational form of dissent.”
“There is a pretty big problem in Asheville. It’s racism.”
ASHEVILLE, NC
The third annual conference, “Bringing it Home: Building a Local Economy for Everyone,” will take place on Oct. 7 at the YMI Cultural Center in downtown Asheville.
“Very little has changed here since I was co-captain of the first integrated Asheville High football team and learned much about how Asheville has stacked the deck against nonwhites, and frankly that has not changed nearly as much as it should have over the years.”
“The monument is directly on the site of the old courthouse where the slave auctions were held. It is the exact location where blacks were sold into bondage. It has always been apparent to me, and yet I have never heard one person suggest it, that the monument be rededicated to them.”