Community Reparations Commission delivers final report; 501(c)(3) formed to pursue implementation

Dr. Nora Armstrong, Buncombe County's chief equity and human rights officer, and members of the Community Reparations Commission (CRC) presented the commission's final report and a closeout update to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners.

Armstrong said the CRC was established by the City of Asheville and the county joined the effort; appointees were selected by Asheville City Council on March 8, 2022, and by the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on March 15, 2022. The commission approved 39 recommendations in June 2024 and later requested a six-month extension from the city to complete additional work; Tropical Storm Helene disrupted that timeline and work resumed in March 2025.

Vice Chair Bobette Mays summarized the CRC's recommendations covering criminal justice, economic development, education, health and wellness, and housing. Recommendations described in the presentation include measures to increase minority homeownership and access to affordable housing, grants to legacy neighborhoods and public housing communities, support for black-owned businesses, improved mental-health resources for justice-involved people and law enforcement, and investments in early-childhood education and transportation for expectant mothers.

Mays described creation of a nonprofit corporation to steward implementation work. "Name that was approved by the CRC: 40 Acres in the Land of the Sky Alliance Community Development Corporation," she said. The CRC reported that the nonprofit has been incorporated with the North Carolina Secretary of State, obtained an employer identification number, is drafting bylaws, and will follow with initial board appointments. An application for federal tax-exempt designation was listed as underway (10/23 application date given in the report).

Dwayne Richardson, who said he helped draft the legal framework for the 501(c)(3), described initial fundraising plans that include outreach to local faith institutions, potential private-sector partners and matched-fund programs. Richardson named First Presbyterian Church of Asheville and Truist Bank as potential partners and said the CRC hopes to attract other donors; he also said the CRC plans external fundraising and grant-seeking rather than relying on county funding to support the new nonprofit's start-up.

Chair Dawanna Little (chair) said the CRC's future activity will largely be carried out by the nonprofit and noted the CRC had sought to align recommendations with other local reviews, including the Cease to Harm audit and Asheville's recovery plans. The CRC told commissioners it plans to apply to two existing boards and commissions to stay informed on progress related to CRC recommendations.

Commissioners asked about the cooperative community development proposal ("gifting land campus for cooperative community development programs") and about how the nonprofit will be funded. Mays and Richardson said details on partnerships, program design and fundraising are still being developed and that housing and homeownership are early priorities. Armstrong said county staff are finalizing a crosswalk to align CRC recommendations with the county strategic plan and Cease to Harm recommendations to identify overlapping actions and feasible near-term steps.

The CRC said it completed the charge given by Asheville City Council and the county and that dissolution of the County Reparations Committee will take place at the Asheville City Council meeting on Oct. 10, 2025, with a subsequent council meeting to officially dissolve the ad hoc commission.