BLACK ASHEVILLE DEMANDS IS RESTRUCTURING AND WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Black Asheville Demands was formed in response to the violence seen globally in the US against Black people in the summer of 2020. BAD defines itself as “an intergenerational collective of Black leaders in Asheville, NC, who demand justice for Black people.”
We are currently looking to redesign our organization to better meet the needs of the communities we serve and to better fit our vision of “Building Black power in Buncombe County to hold the Asheville City and Buncombe County government accountable for ending the oppression of our Black communities. We hold ourselves accountable to serve, nourish, and uplift our community members of past, present, and future generations.”
BAD has reached out in the winter of 2021 to The POD consulting team to design and manage the restructuring process of their organization. The POD is composed of Black community members dedicated to using their skills to help buildout equitable and sustainable solutions for organizations and institutions dedicated to racial justice in the WNC area.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Here are a few ways we could use your help!
We are looking to share updates on local government and community events and happenings! If you have any information you think needs to be shared with the community, we will be glad to repost and re-share it. Please send it to (insert email), and we will repost it in a timely fashion.
Black Asheville Demands (BAD) wishes to conduct a landscape analysis of the Black racial justice aligned work being undertaken in the city of Asheville, NC, and the greater Buncombe County area. To do this, BAD is requesting the participation of various community members, organizations, faith, and justice leaders, activists, government employees, and educators for interview sessions to gather data assessing the scope and depth of Black racial justice work being done in this area. The goal is to use this data to aid in the scaling, refocusing, and buildout of BAD’s current organizational structure. BAD is attempting to figure out how to best serve the Black communities of Asheville-Buncombe in a way that is unifying and collaborative with other entities already doing this work in this area. Your input will help guide BAD’s intended vision of “ a unified healing body of black communities liberating ourselves and others.
If you are interested, please schedule yourself for a 60-minute (1-hour interview) here. All interviews are recorded for documentation purposes, and you will be asked to review the interviewee agreement form and give verbal consent to the form before your interview. You will be compensated $50.00 for your 60-minute interview by the organization for your participation. Once you have completed the interview, you will receive a template to invoice the organization.
Liberation is built upon the understanding that things must change and be subject to change to benefit the entirety of us. We are grateful for this pause.
With love and liberation in mind,
The BAD community
Response to Reparations Resolution
Black Avl Demands Collective, an intergenerational collective of Black people in Asheville, would like to reaffirm our stance as a collective, due to growing media attention both locally and nationally.
Black Avl Demands Collective, an intergenerational collective of Black people in Asheville, would like to reaffirm our stance as a collective, due to growing media attention both locally and nationally. Our collective is composed of Black Individuals and Black-led organizations across Asheville and Buncombe County. We firmly believe that all movement is a part of the greater moment to obtain liberation for Black and other people of color. Our intent is to work collaboratively with as many individuals and groups as possible with the understanding that while our strategies and practices may be different, our end goals are the same - equity and liberation for our Black people!
In regards to the Reparations Resolution passed by Asheville City Council on July 14, 2020, we recognize that for some the language and the implied actions are not strong enough. However, we believe that it is a great first step. Our intention as a collective is to work within Black Communities to ensure that the needs of all are voiced. In a sense, we have come to this point in Asheville, NC to cash the check that our dear brother Dr. Martin Luther King Jr referenced in his I Have a Dream speech. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of the city of Asheville and Buncombe County. We intend to have those liberties guaranteed to every American by the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
For media requests and official responses from this Collective, please reach out to us via the Contact Us page.
Write-in/Call-in Campaign
A Write-In/Call-In Campaign Designed by Asheville’s Racial Justice Coalition in response to Black AVL’s Demands
Summary: We are asking the City Council to support all of the Black Asheville Demands, starting with the first one: divestment from police and investment in Black communities.
The Campaign: We will be calling up and emailing all members of City Council, and key members of the city staff, urging them to adjust the budget in accordance with the Black Asheville Demands. Right now, City Council is set to discuss the budget at the June 9 meeting, so it’s imperative that we reach out to them now and make sure they are moving toward making this important shift.
What to do: There are a number of important steps we can take:
Adapt the email below and send it to City Council and staff.
Use the script below to call them and have a conversation or leave a voicemail.
Call and leave a public comment voicemail (until 5 pm on Monday June 8) and/or make a public comment during the meeting (starts 5 pm on June 9) Follow the directions here.
Fill out the Report Back form as you go along so we can track our progress.
Questions? Please reach out to Rob Thomas robthomas.rjc@gmail.com and/or David Greenson davidgreenson@gmail.com
Materials: Here are templates you can adapt and use.
Email template
Dear Asheville City Council (or staff member name),
My name is_________________ and I am a resident of Asheville. I am writing in support of the Black Asheville Demands that were presented on Saturday. With the budget up for consideration, I urge City Council to divest from the police and invest in Black communities. 50% of the APD’s budget should be invested in long-term safety strategies including supporting Black startups/business, eliminating the racial opportunity gap in Asheville City Schools, and funding an all-civilian oversight committee with the power to hold the APD and individual officers accountable.
I hope that I can count on your support for this essential policy shift at this crucial juncture in our city’s history.
Thank you,
Phone script
[if you are able to get through to the target]
Hello, this is _____ and I am a resident of Asheville. I am calling to urge the City to divest from the police, beginning with next year’s budget.
[Listen and respond]
Points to make if the conversation allows: I think City Council needs to adjust the budget so it begins divesting from the police and investing in Black communities. 50% of the APD’s budget should be invested in long-term safety strategies including supporting Black startups/business, eliminating the racial opportunity gap in Asheville City Schools, and funding an all-civilian oversight committee with the power to hold the APD and individual officers accountable.
Can I count on your support for this essential policy shift at this crucial juncture in our city’s history.?
[if you need to leave a message, you can just read the whole thing straight through…]
People to email and call
(these email addresses and numbers are also on the Report Back form, if you prefer to refer to that)
City Council - email them all at once at AshevilleNCCouncil@ashevillenc.gov
Mayor Esther Mannheimer - 828-259-5604
Vice Mayor Gwen Wisler - 828-333-1767
Councilman Brian Haynes - 828-619-1776
Councilman Vijay Kapoor - 828-424-7773
Councilwoman Julie Mayfield - 828-271-4544
Councilwoman Sheneika Smith - 704-401-9104
Councilman Keith Young - 828-407-1181
City Staff
City Manager Debra Campbell dcampbell@ashevillenc.gov 828-259-5604
Assistant City Manager Cathy Ball cball@ashevillenc.gov 828-259-5604
Assistant City Manger Richard White III rwhite@ashevillenc.gov 828-259-5602
Contact info for June 9th City Council meeting
VOICEMAIL
855-925-2801 Meeting Code: 8958
Comment 3 mins max by 5pm Monday June 8th.LIVE CALL IN
855-925-2801 Meeting Code: 8958
Call 5pm Tuesday June 9th to listen & comment live.EMAIL
AshevilleCityCouncilJune92020@PublicInput.com