Is America finally ready to accept its historical past; Accept and acknowledged the impact of Slavery, Jim Crow, discrimination, Police brutality, systematic, institutional and structural racism on its Black Citizens?
ASHEVILLE, N.C.– In a phenomenal action, The historic 7-0 vote of July 14, 2020, makes the Asheville City council the very first American institution to apologize for the North Carolina city’s historical role in enslavement, discrimination as well as denial of fundamental rights and freedoms to African-American (Blacks) citizens.
“Hundreds of years of Black blood spilled that basically fills the cup we drink from today,” said Councilman Keith Young, one of two African American members of the body and the measure’s chief proponent.
“It is simply not enough to remove statutes. Black people in this country are dealing with issues that are systemic in nature.”
The resolution compels the city to develop the Community Reparations Commission, inviting neighborhood groups and also various other city governments to join. It will be the compensation’s work to make concrete referrals for programs and also sources to be made use of. Councilwoman Sheneika Smith, who is Black, stated the council had obtained e-mails from those “asking, ‘Why should we pay for what occurred throughout slavery?'”.
“(Slavery) is this institution that serves as the starting point for the building of the strong economic floor for white America, while attempting to keep Blacks subordinate forever to its progress,” Smith said.
The council permitted an hr of public comment on the action. Several who were not able to talk before the ballot waited on one more hour-long comment period later, pressing the meeting late into the evening. Most were in support.
Rob Thomas, community liaison for the Racial Justice Coalition which led the promote repairs, thanked the council.
“This is a really, really good gesture as far as the foundation of what we can build,” Thomas said. “The potential of what can come out of this document is amazing.”
Source: Afro World News
