Listening to Asheville's Local Black History

Asheville Parks & Recreation celebrated Black culture with a number of special events in February. The Harvest House Community Center hosted one event where several Black residents shared stories about growing up in Asheville in the ‘60s and ‘70s. The words of elders hold wisdom and history; collecting oral histories helps ensure their stories carry forward to present and future generations. If you know someone with important local history and stories to tell (perhaps your grandparent, a neighbor, or yourself), you can check out an Oral History Backpack from Buncombe County Public Libraries with everything you need to record an oral history interview!

Equity Hosts Black History Month Lunch & Learn for City Staff

Equity Trainer, Marcus Kirkman, leading a presentation on the history of Black Asheville for Black History Month Lunch & Learn with City Staff

In celebration of Black History and Legacy Month, the Office of Equity and Inclusion hosted two Lunch & Learns for City staff to learn about Black history in Asheville. We also had the honor of hosting (Retired) Chief Warrant Officer (CWO-5) Phillip Brashear as a virtual guest during one of these Lunch & Learns with City staff. Chief Warrant Officer Brashear has over 40 years of combined Military service between the United States Navy, Army Reserves, and Air National Guard. He is the son of the late Honorable Master Chief Carl Brashear who was the Navy’s first Black Master Diver and the Navy’s first Master Diver amputee. As we celebrated Black History and Legacy Month, we are grateful for them both; for their Honorable years of service to our nation and immeasurable contributions to our country.

Get Involved with the City Budget Process

The City of Asheville is kicking off our Fiscal Year 2023-24 (FY24, which runs July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024) budget development process by seeking feedback from the community. We would like to encourage as many residents as possible to get involved in this year's budget process! There are many ways to be involved and you can check out the timeline HERE. 

There are two ways to participate early on in the budget process: 

1. Take and share the 2023-2024 budget priorities survey by March 3, 2023. The survey is available in English, Spanish, Ukrainian and Russian. 
2. Attend and make a comment during the budget public comment session at the February 28 City Council meeting. (See Upcoming Events & Opportunities section of the newsletter for details.)

Thanks for helping us get the word out to your friends and neighbors residing in Asheville!
 

Reparations Project Update

• 2023 Schedules for Regular Meetings and the Impact Focus Area Meetings are posted on the Community Reparations Commission webpage.

  • January 9th, 2023,

  • February 20, 2023

• The next meeting of the Community Reparations Commission is scheduled for March 20th at 6:00 p.m. at Harrah’s Cherokee Center - Banquet Room:  87 Haywood Street,  Asheville, NC 2880. 

  • The public is welcome to attend and sign-up for public comment.

  • Please check the project page a few days ahead of the meeting to stay current on any updates or changes to meetings or agendas.

To follow the development of the City of Asheville and Buncombe County Community Reparations Commission, please consider regularly visiting the project page and subscribing to the project. You can register to receive regular updates just by typing your name and/ or email in the Subscribe section (see image below). We will never share your information with third parties.  

Subscribe for updates on the Community Reparations Commission HERE.

Stay connected by following the City of Asheville on Facebook and Twitter.

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