City and County respond to our collective request
On October 3rd, we invited RJC supporters to join us in putting a critical question to our City and County governments: Are they still committed to reparations explicitly for Black people? RJC supporters were quick to answer our call to action, generating over 3,000 emails to City and County leadership. Because of that, both governments made (almost identical) public statements last night and today. You can find both statements in their entirety below this update. We appreciate that the City and County responded to all of us so quickly, and we deeply appreciate our supporters for stepping up, getting us that speedy response.
You’re probably wondering what they had to say, and more specifically, whether they answered our critical question and reaffirmed their commitment to reparations for Black people. The answer isn’t as crystal clear as we had hoped for, but it’s a start.
- Both the City and County proclaimed support for “the reparations process” in their opening sentences. Later in their statement, they affirmed that this process should have “a clear and unencumbered focus on those individuals identified by the original resolution supporting the reparations effort.” They never did what we asked and explicitly named that “the reparations process” is for Black people. For example, we’re not sure why they chose to say that the focus of reparations is “those individuals identified by the original resolution” instead of just saying Black people. In fact, they use the word “Black” sparingly, which is in contrast to the original Reparations Resolutions, which explicitly referenced “Black people” twenty-one times; it’s the most common word in those documents. It’s this very tendency to back away from “Black” and the boldness and specificity in the Reparations Resolutions that concerns us. In sum: their response is not the clear-cut statement we were asking for, but a somewhat ambiguous answer is more than we had yesterday.
- The rest of their statements explain the limitations that the City and County see for the reparations process, due to the “(constraints of) State and Federal laws” and the fact that a local process cannot be “the complete solution” for local Black community members. We may differ on some of the details here, but we weren’t calling these issues into question yesterday.
- The government response also claims that City and County staff “have worked with the Commission from the very beginning to ensure members have access to the necessary legal advice in order to move their work forward,” and this points to a key area of concern. The legal advice to which the Reparations Commission had access was from the City and County attorneys, whose job is to represent the interests of the City and County, not the Reparations Commission. To imply that these interests are one and the same is misleading. We are not calling into question the competence of City and County attorneys, but we are skeptical that they can offer the “necessary legal advice” the Commission needs, and we propose that the Reparations Commission have access to legal advice from an independent legal advisor with expertise in reparative justice issues.
- When we first met with City and County leadership back in 2021, before plans for the Reparations process were set, we suggested that there were two essential conditions for it to be successful. The first was that the City and County ensure that the Reparations Commission have independence and power. The second was that the City and County engage in a detailed and expansive community outreach program that ensures that Black people in this region have a central role in every phase of the process. Neither of those conditions has manifested, but it is not too late for the City and County to address these issues as the process moves forward.
- Here is an example of the insufficient community engagement of Black people in this region: the City’s statement ends with the “bittersweet news that this weekend’s Reparation Summit is sold out.” We see nothing sweet in this fact, only the bitter reality that the venue secured was too small, which will result in many Black community members being excluded from this event. We remain concerned that the City and County’s efforts to engage the Black community have been few, far-between, and limited in scope.
We will have more to say about all of this soon, and ask that you be on the lookout for further communication from us. We will be consulting with members of the Reparations Commission on next steps, and will be proposing some concrete ways the City and County can further empower the Commission and engage the Black community, toward which you can continue to support and advocate.
For now, we deeply appreciate your support, and celebrate your timely action yesterday, which led to such a quick response from our local governments.
City Statement (from Director of Equity and Inclusion Brenda Mills):
We have heard from the community that there is concern that Asheville and Buncombe County may be advising a departure from the initially agreed-upon race specific reparations.
First and foremost, please allow us to unequivocally reiterate the City of Asheville’s and Buncombe County’s firm commitment to the reparations process. This remains a primary goal of the City Council and County Commission, and staff throughout the organization are working alongside the Commission membership to see that the original mission is realized. Although our support for this initiative is unwavering, both the City of Asheville and Buncombe County governments have always been constrained by State and Federal laws which will place some limitations on the final form local reparations will take in our community. City and County staff, specifically from the respective legal departments, have worked with the Commission from the very beginning to ensure that the members have access to the necessary legal advice in order to move their work forward. This includes ensuring the Commission members, and the public at large, understand that certain actions will be beyond our legal and financial authority. This messaging has been consistent throughout the reparations process, and both the City and County legal staff have been diligent in their efforts to assist the Commission with navigating through these legal hurdles.
In the end, the City and County stand with the Commission in focusing on the goal of investing in and empowering Black Asheville through the reparations process. Yes, some proposals may be beyond our legal ability, and working through these challenges is simply part of the complex and important work being done by the Commission, the community, and our local governments. We remain focused on what is possible, rather than what is not.
Local governments can not be the complete solution to the problems faced by the Black community, but the City of Asheville and Buncombe County intend to be part of the reparative effort. We intend to do this in a legally defensible manner, but with a clear and unencumbered focus on those individuals identified by the original resolution supporting the reparations effort.
Additionally, we would like to share the bittersweet news that this weekend’s Reparation Summit is sold out. With a deep appreciation for an inclusive and transparent process, the event will be video recorded and shared through this subscriber list along with the opportunity to provide input on the content covered in the summit in the week or two following the summit.
County Statement (from Assistant County Manager D K Wesley)
We unequivocally reiterate the County’s firm commitment to the reparations process. This remains a primary goal of our Board of Commissioners, and staff throughout the organization are working alongside the Commission membership to see that the original mission is realized. Although our support for this initiative is unwavering, both the City of Asheville and Buncombe County governments have always been constrained by State and Federal laws which will place some limitations on the final form local reparations will take in our community. City and County staff, specifically from the respective legal departments, have worked with the Commission from the very beginning to ensure that the members have access to the necessary legal advice in order to move their work forward. This includes ensuring the Commission members, and the public at large, understand that certain actions will be beyond our legal and financial authority. This messaging has been consistent throughout the reparations process, and both the City and County legal staff have been diligent in their efforts to assist the Commission with navigating through these legal hurdles.
In the end, the City and County stand with the Commission in focusing on the goal of investing in and empowering Black Asheville through the reparations process. Yes, some proposals may be beyond our legal ability, and working through these challenges is simply part of the complex and important work being done by the Commission, the community, and our local governments. We remain focused on what is possible, rather than what is not.
Local governments cannot be the complete solution to the problems faced by the Black community, but the City of Asheville and Buncombe County intend to be part of the reparative effort. We intend to do this in a legally defensible manner, but with a clear and unencumbered focus on those individuals identified by the original resolution supporting the reparations effort.
Note: The original post content has been edited to reflect the updates above. We have removed the email template, as this email campaign has ended. We are not recommending any particular advocacy at this time.
Original Campaign Post
Lawyers representing Asheville and Buncombe County have been telling the Community Reparations Commission (CRC) that they shouldn’t direct recommended resources and programming specifically at Black people.
This completely contradicts the Reparations Resolutions that both the City of Asheville and Buncombe County passed in 2020, which specifically promised reparations to Black people in this region because of the well-documented harms local government had perpetuated.
The City and County need to reaffirm their commitment to reparations for Black people. If Black people remain the intended beneficiaries of reparations, the City and County need to make a definitive public statement that affirms that.
Click on the Start Writing button below for an email template you can use – it only takes a few minutes to add your voice to ours.