“What is owed,” the recent New York Times Magazine essay by Nikole Hannah-Jones is a must read. In it, she makes an irrefutable case for reparations. Excerpt: “Financial restitution cannot end racism, of course, but it can certainly mitigate racism’s most devastating effects. If we do nothing, black Americans may never recover from this pandemic, and they will certainly never know the equality the nation has promised.”
While reparations absolutely must take place on a federal and state level, we can and should implement them locally and individually as well.
City of Asheville: commit to reparations (now)
Click here for a call to action from the Racial Justice Coalition, and join Black leaders in demanding the City of Asheville commit to reparations immediately, starting by adding this issue to the July 14 City Council agenda, so that each Council member can state their position on it. You can read a narrative with more context about the debt the City owes its Black residents here.
I trust this demand will be made to other institutions as well. Keep exercising your advocacy muscles, staying committed to steady work for justice.
Help CoThinkk raise $150,000
As a founding member of CoThinkk, I have written many times about this giving circle which invests in initiatives that “accelerate changes for communities of color in Asheville and WNC.” Here is the announcement for a $150,000 fundraising goal from their latest eNewsletter:
“This bloom is the moment in global history that is compelling us to raise our vibrations and intentionally calling us into something bigger than ourselves;
This bloom is the moment when our courage, energy and intentionality becomes a seamless lens for movements, actions, choice points and language;
This bloom is the moment when collectively, systemic racism is rooted out and systems are interrupted and re-imagined. This is about the future, about what is to come.
If you’re interested in learning more about this movement, we invite you to read CoThinkk’s solidarity statement titled: This Moment.
Your donation in solidarity to CoThinkk will be a powerful catalyst for transformation, intentional interruption, action and sustainable change for grassroots, change-making leaders of color in Asheville and Western NC.”
CoThink will be hosting online conversations about their work on July 16 and 23 at 6 pm, email davia.young@cothinkk.org for details on how to join.
Help CPC’s Racial Equity Circle raise $5,000
The Center for Participatory Change (CPC)‘s Racial Equity Circle is raising $5,000 by July 17th to…
- hire Black therapists to support healing spaces for Black communities,
- host Black healing spaces in venues that are both historically Black and bus accessible,
- provide Black-catered food, and
- create simultaneous Black-led youth programming.
Click here to donate to CPC’s Racial Equity Circle.
Conversation about whiteness
In early June, I was invited by KP Whatley to have a conversation with him on Asheville FM about whiteness and activism. You can click here to hear a recording.
****
You can subscribe to have new posts delivered via email for free (sign up in sidebar or below if you are on a device). If you find this site valuable, you can become a patron on Patreon starting at $3/month or you can make a one-time or monthly donation via PayPal. You can contribute on Venmo to Ami-Whoa. Thanks to everyone who helps sustain this resource on community action towards collective liberation.
Ami Worthen 