Asheville, NC City Council votes for reparations
(AP) – Officials in the North Carolina city of Asheville have apologized for its historic role in slavery and discrimination and voted to provide reparations.
The Asheville Citizen-Times reports that unanimous vote was taken by the City Council on Tuesday.
The resolution on reparations does not require direct payments but will mandate investments in areas where Black residents face disparities.
“We’ll be looking at doing is using the power of government. What we can do. We can create policies. We can create programs. We can fund things. We can create structures and systems,” said Asheville City Council member Julie Mayfield.
Priorities could include efforts to increase minority home ownership, access to affordable housing and minority business ownership. The resolution also mentions strategies to close the gaps in health care, education and pay.
The resolution calls for the creation of a Community Reparations Commission to recommend programs and resources to be used.
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