Reparations Speaker Series: Past Policies & Practices

The City of Asheville hosted the first of a speaker series Thursday, June 3, 2021 as part of the city’s process to deliver reparations for Black Asheville. Each program takes place at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in downtown Asheville.

Moderator: Dr. Darin Waters-Executive Director of the UNC Asheville Office of Community Engagement, an Associate Professor of History, and as the Co-Host of the Waters and Harvey Radio Show and Podcast.

Panelists:

Dr. William Turner, co-author of the book Blacks in Appalachia, served as research associate to Roots author Alex Haley and former Chair Department of Social Sciences, Winston Salem State University.

Attorney James Ferguson, native of Asheville and graduate of Stephens-Lee High School and founding partner of the firm Ferguson Chambers and Sumter which is one of the most prominent civil rights litigation firms in NC and cooperating attorneys of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Sasha Mitchell, former chair of the Asheville Buncombe County African American Heritage Commission and a family and community historian.