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North Carolina City Council Approves Plan For Reparations

Asheville City Council makes a public apology for the city’s role in slavery.

The Asheville City Council has made a historic move to approve reparations and apologise for slavery.

According to Citizen Times, the city council, which has only two Black members, unanimously voted 7 - 0 for reparations. Councilman Keith Young, one of the Black members and the measure's chief proponent, said in a statement, "Hundreds of years of Black blood spilled that basically fills the cup we drink from today. It is simply not enough to remove statutes. Black people in this country are dealing with issues that are systemic in nature."

Reparations will not be in the form of direct payments but investments in Black areas to increase generational wealth.
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The resolution read, "The resulting budgetary and programmatic priorities may include but not be limited to increasing minority home ownership and access to other affordable housing, increasing minority business ownership and career opportunities, strategies to grow equity and generational wealth, closing the gaps in health care, education, employment and pay, neighborhood safety and fairness within criminal justice.” 

A Community Reparations Commission will also be created and comprised of community groups and other local governments. The commission will advise on where resources can best be used.

You can read the full plan here.

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