Black-led. Community-Driven.
Many Voices, One Sound.
We are honored to be based in Asheville, NC — a community where the call for reparations has been met with historic action. In 2020, both the City of Asheville and Buncombe County governments passed reparations resolutions. Later that same year, Buncombe County declared racism a public health and safety crisis, affirming it should be treated with the urgency and funding of any public emergency.
While our nucleus is Buncombe County, our work extends across North Carolina and into the larger national reparations movement — building relationships, sharing strategies, and standing in solidarity with other communities advancing reparative justice.
Our work is guided by a restorative justice approach to reparations. As survivors of the harms caused by systemic racism, anti-Blackness, and discriminatory practices, Black citizens must be at the heart of creating solutions. Reparations must be led by those most impacted.
Uniformity is not our directive — but unity is our strength. We leverage the power of our collective voice and the wisdom of our diverse experiences to transform adversity into action.
“We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes”
Our Goals
Build systems for those most impacted by systemic harm and oppression in the City of Asheville and Buncombe County to have direct input in how reparations funds are defined, distributed, and evaluated.
Manage a separate community-led monetary Reparations Fund solely for Buncombe County. Our Generational Architects decide how this fund is defined, distributed, and evaluated.
Lead in education, advocacy, and systemic change that addresses the root causes of harm and creates lasting transformation.
Advance reparative justice efforts beyond Buncombe County, contributing to state-level and national conversations, strategies, and solidarity actions.
Why We Exist
A core element of any meaningful reparative justice effort is the presence of an independent, Black-led institution that can guide the distribution of reparations-related resources in response to community direction. The National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC) outlines in its Basic Elements for Municipal Reparations Initiatives:
“The affected party must be trusted to control the administration of the remedy… A Community Reparations Finance Authority which can receive and administer public and private resources would meet this criteria.”
The RSAA exists to fill this role in our local reparations movement. We are accountable to our community, rooted in justice, and committed to ensuring that repair moves from conversation to practice — building lasting systems that create opportunity, equity, and liberation.