Announcement of new City of Asheville Reparations Commission members

Reparations logo
The Asheville City Council has approved five seat appointments for the Community Reparations Commission representing the five impact focus areas of criminal justice, economic development, education, health care and housing.  

Those members appointed by Asheville City Council are: 

Dewana Little – Criminal Justice

Dr. Dwight B Mullen -Economic Development

CiCi  Weston – Education

Dr. Tamarie Macon – Healthcare

Joyce Harrison – Housing

Also announced were the names of those appointed by the historically impacted African American neighborhoods. 

Burton Street

DeWayne Barton

MZ Yehudah

East End/ Valley Street

Keith Young

Glenda McDowell

Heart of Chestnut

Bernard V. Oliphant

Renata Conyers

Shiloh

Norma S. Baynes

Bobbette K. Mays

Southside

Mildred Nance Carson

Roy Harris

Stumptown

Thomas Priester

Kimberly Jones

Public Housing Community in Asheville

Shaunda Jackson

Angela Young

Aleesha Ballard

Alternates

Darrin Owens

Shekiki Jiles-Baten

These members were selected through a neighborhood nomination process, and the selection was at the discretion of the neighborhood organizations who submitted the nomination.  

Background

On July 14, 2020, the Asheville City Council passed a resolution supporting community reparations for Black Asheville.  The resolution calls for the city manager to, “establish a process within the next year to develop short, medium and long term recommendations to specifically address the creation of generational wealth and to boost economic mobility and opportunity in the black community.”

You can find more information about the Reparations on Public Input here

The Community Reparations Commission is charged with developing recommendations to be presented to the City Council and County Commission to repair the harm done by decades of racial discrimination and systemic oppression against Black Asheville residents. The reparations process in Asheville will focus on five impact areas which include housing, economic development, health, education, and criminal justice. 

The Commission final composition it’s of 25 members; 15 commission members will be nominated by persons from historically impacted neighborhoods, to include public housing and former historically African American neighborhoods (for example Stumptown). 

The Community Reparations Commission members will contribute approximately 5-10 hours per month, possibly up to 18 to 24 months.