Asheville Advances Equity Through Multiple Interconnected Initiatives

The City of Asheville has announced its first steps toward advancing racial equity and social justice through many efforts working in concert with each other to promote larger societal change.

The city describes the work as a team effort to be blended into all city departments, as part of its stated mission “to provide quality services to all Asheville residents.”

Through the City’s 30/60/90 Day Work Plan, staff have begun focusing efforts on reimagining public safety and issues related to racial equity.

Among the agenda items before Asheville City Council on Oct. 27 were several designed to lay a foundation for racial equity and social justice in our community.

Halting the sale of urban renewal properties

Council passed a resolution authorizing the City Manager to suspend the sale or change in zoning use of any City property acquired through urban renewal until further policy direction has been reviewed. This action is in support of Council’s July 14 Resolution Supporting Community Reparations for Black Asheville. Hundreds of properties taken from Black families during urban renewal are now highly valued, though the residents who once owned them got little or nothing for them. Many have already been identified, and City staff will continue to conduct an inventory of such properties. Unless specifically exempted by City Council, these properties will not be rezoned or developed until there is further policy direction.

Business Inclusion Policy

This resolution seeks to address race- and gender-based disparities in City contracting and procurement. Based on the 2018 Disparity Study, this policy outlines steps that the City will take to help reduce disparities in contracting and purchasing, such as maintaining an updated database of available small and minority- and women-owned businesses; providing certification, networking opportunities, and workshops and training for such businesses; and requiring that prime contractors bidding on contracts conduct outreach to identify minority- and women-owned subcontractors for City projects. This policy will go into effect Jan. 1, 2021.

Zero-Net Loss Tree Canopy Resolution

Under the area of environmental social justice, this resolution builds upon City Council’s Jan. 28 Climate Emergency Resolution to establish a tree canopy coverage goal of 50% by 2040. A 2018 canopy study identified a correlation between urban heat island effects and communities of color and estimated coverage at 44.5%. The resolution also supports the future establishment of a Comprehensive Urban Forestry Program. The City’s Office of Sustainability is working to incorporate a Climate Justice Screening Tool to ensure that Asheville’s BIPOC (Black and Indigenous People of Color) voices are heard throughout the planning and implementation process.

Vance Monument Task Force

Named after former Confederate officer and slave holder Zebulon Vance, who served as North Carolina governor during the Civil War, the 65-foot obelisk at the intersection of Biltmore and Patton avenues evokes a painful past for Black residents. In August, the City and County named a joint task force to consider whether the monument should be removed or repurposed. In addition, the task force is charged with identifying and recommending African Americans to honor the local history of Asheville and Buncombe County.

The Task Force has held two virtual Town Hall events to gather public input, and is expected to make its recommendations for the monument in late November.

Renaming city streets

Public spaces, including streets, are meant to be inclusive places where everyone and anyone can feel welcome and comfortable. The names of streets are sometimes overlooked, but many names may evoke negative emotions—especially on roadways named after former slave owners.

Under its statutory authority to change street names, City Council is now considering renaming such streets to honor historic black leaders instead of enslavers. While the Council will make final decisions, this initiative is community driven and the process for identifying potential street name changes for consideration by the City Council will occur through a public engagement process.

PODS and Wi-Fi access to Asheville Housing Authority communities

PODS: Recognizing that the COVID-19 pandemic is having a profound effect on our students—especially our BIPOC students—the City of Asheville stepped up to help fill the gap. City recreation centers have been repurposed as centers for the PODS program (Positive Opportunities Develop Success), and the Asheville Housing Authority—partnering with community organizations including My Daddy Taught Me That, My Community Matters, YTL, and CHOSEN—city school staff are using the PODS as centers to engage students and facilitate student engagement to promote academic achievement.

Wi-Fi: The City took a further step of appropriating $50,000 to help provide Internet Wi-Fi to the Asheville Housing Authority’s five family developments so as to help close the digital divide and ensure that students have reliable connectivity to support remote learning. The Southside Community will be the first of the housing communities to receive the Internet infrastructure. Other contributing partners include Asheville City Schools Foundation, Buncombe County Government, and the Asheville Housing Authority.

Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Center aquatics center design

On Oct. 27, 2020 Council unanimously passed a resolution allowing design work to proceed on a community pool to serve the Southside community. This investment in a historically underserved part of our community will be designed to increase equitable access to community and recreation services for current and future residents. The design will be created through inclusive engagement with the Southside community.