The North Carolina city of Asheville has approved reparations for it's Black neighborhoods as well as apologized for it's role in slavery. The City Council voted unanimously 7-0 on a measure to mitigate racial disparities within the community. The form the reparations will be distributed is not exactly what you'd expect. The reparations will be given in the form of community investments. These investments include funding towards housing, health care, and career growth in Black neighborhoods within Asheville, NC. So, why did Asheville vote to make this move? According to Councilman Vijay Kapoor, he supported the measure for moral reasons and said it was a practical move. Data shows large disparities between African Americans and other Asheville residents and therefore told skeptics this about the move: "We don't want to be held back by these gaps. We want everyone to be successful."
Part of the resolution to racial disparities is the creation of a Community Reparations Commission within the city of Asheville, NC. They will determine which resources will be used towards which programs. According to the Council's resolution, it reads that, "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."
With this decision made by Asheville, NC, do you agree or disagree with their choice to approve reparations in this way? I'll tell you my opinion on this and I try to see things from both sides. I do not believe in direct payments to individuals based on the injustice their ancestors received. I do believe in reparations for direct individuals who experienced wrongful convictions, or were severely wronged or harmed by a company, employer, etc. but not based on racial injustice for something that occurred to your ancestor. Reparations are for victims, are these individuals in North Carolina victims? With that being said, the city as a whole recognizes that once upon a time their Black community experienced racial injustice and they want to apologize and make amends because they feel it's their responsibility and they have some sort of racial guilt as a city. Regardless if me or you find it necessary, the city does and here we are. With that, I think the distribution to give money into Black community neighborhoods that need it, is the best possible action they could do if they are hell bent on using city money. It's a heck of a lot better than direct payments. In general though, if a neighborhood needs support, regardless of whether it's a Black neighborhood, White, Hispanic, Asian, etc. that neighborhood should receive it to better the community as whole. They could need better healthcare, youth programs, etc. and they should get funding but I want to take it a step further and say it should not just apply to that minority, what about the others that also need help? Evenly distribute it, lets not show favoritism because we've all dealt with injustices at one point or another. What about the Asian community that needs funding? Even a poor White neighborhood? Should they also receive much needed funding? I think so, so call me harsh but while racism is of course bad, the Black community as a whole is not the only community who has experienced racism or injustice. Should we ignore it? No, let's make changes to policy, laws, societal norms, etc. and we've done that, we've come a long way from the days of slavery. I understand there is still work to be done, I just don't think money is the only answer and can make amends for the past. What's done is done and no amount of money is going to change that. The best we can do is change as a society and keep pushing for change to have equal opportunity and treatment for all and keep moving forward instead of harping on the past. Learn from the past and never repeat it, money is not the answer to that. Giving money is like putting a band-aid on the problem. The way you tackle injustice is talking about it, raising awareness, making policy change, voting accordingly, and teaching about what's right from wrong, not throwing money at it. Is funding a good thing? Yes and should the Asheville Black neighborhood receive it because they need it to improve their programs more than any other community? Yes. Is it going to make a wrong in the past, right? No, so while I'm all for giving communities the much needed funding they need, let's not do it in the name of reconciliation.
What do you think?
-Producer Lightning