In a move unusual for a small southern city, local officials publicly apologized for Asheville’s role in segregation, urban renewal and other discriminatory practices — and pledged to make good on past harms through policy changes and community investment.
At the time, many celebrated Asheville’s forward thinking, hailing the city as a “blueprint” and potential “national model” for how local governments could make amends for systemic racism and address disparities in outcomes for Black residents.
In 2022, the city and county formed the Community Reparations Commission, or CRC, a 25-member committee of Black leaders who were tasked with helping turn that vision into a reality. They formally issued their plan in late 2025.
But since then, Asheville City Council has yet to move forward – or even signal strong interest – in any of the 39 recommendations that the CRC delivered to them. For some officials, the political tides have turned so dramatically since the era of the George Floyd protests that they’re no longer comfortable standing behind them…