Equity for Black People

Torre Garrison is the inaugural Reparations Project Director for the Reparations Stakeholder Authority of Asheville (RSAA).

This bold, community-driven social change champion will spearhead the cause of reparations for Black citizens in Buncombe County with grace, determination, and an unwavering commitment to justice.

Garrison is a kaleidoscope of roles and talents: a devoted wife, loving mother, prolific author, inspiring radio host, and passionate advocate for social and racial justice, mental health, and labor union rights. In her downtime, Torre embraces the simple joys of life, from good food to thought-provoking documentaries. A true Asheville native, she delights in reading, writing, hiking, shopping, and crafting, and fiercely supports buy-local ethics.

Guided by her understanding of America’s inextricable history with racial injustice, Torre states, “It is impossible to examine the history of America and not see the intentional destruction of equality for Black people. In order to reach true equity, we must understand and embrace the importance of reparatory justice and reparations.” As the Reparations Project Director, Garrison will channel her relentless energy into leading local reparations efforts, ensuring that Buncombe’s Black communities shape their individual and collective futures.

Reparations is about much more than money. Reparations requires that we confront and reckon with the hard parts of our past so that we can move forward to a more peaceful and connected future. The RSAA will design and execute a local Truth and Reconciliation process to support emotional healing in our communities.

The RSAA envisions a future where the United States of America has fully atoned for the harms of chattel slavery, the transatlantic slave trade, redlining, and other manifestations of systemic racism.

The Reparations Stakeholder Authority of Asheville is a Reparations Finance Authority that manages the distribution of monetary reparations to Black citizens in Buncombe County, North Carolina. The RSAA works to directly benefit our local Black communities, and to heal the harms caused by systemic racism and discriminatory practices.

RSAA Goals

The RSAA will build systems to allow individual Black residents of the City of Asheville and Buncombe County to have input in the distribution of funds set aside for reparations.

The RSAA administers an Reparations Fund to be a perpetual resource for Buncombe County’s Black community, to complement the tax revenue stream earmarked by the City and County for initial reparations remedies, and to ensure funding is available for reparations once those tax revenues are no longer available.

To learn more, or to become a stakeholder, please visit www.rsaasheville.org.