Our Values

We are not a monolith.
We affirm the multitude of voices, identities, and needs within our communities. We fight for the lives of ALL Black people in Buncombe County, regardless of age, ability, education, financial status, sexual orientation, gender identity, criminal background, or housing status. To honor the divine variety of Blackness, we use the term “Black communities” in the plural.

We move at the speed of trust.
We reject the false sense of urgency promoted in white supremacy culture. We prioritize building healthy, accountable relationships as the foundation for our organization’s long-term resilience and the strength of our movement.

We build innovative models and systems for reparations.
We learn from the deep history of Black organizing in Asheville, from the leadership of our Generational Architects, and from movement work happening across North Carolina and the country. We use these learnings to create reparations-focused solutions tailored to the needs of Buncombe County while contributing to broader reparative justice efforts.

We believe in the generative power of Black joy.
We find moments to rejoice and celebrate with each other, inspiring us to envision new solutions and fueling our fight for racial equity and liberation.

We are more than our struggles.
Black people have long built joyful, thriving lives even in the face of systemic racism. We honor ourselves and our ancestors by highlighting our excellence, resilience, and brilliance, and by focusing on the strength within our communities.

We build collective power.
It takes a collective to advance reparative justice. We collaborate with other Black-led organizations, partner with community allies, and engage our SpaceShifters — non-Black partners committed to shifting resources and policies toward repair. Together, we act in coordination to achieve systems-level change that benefits our communities and challenges structures of harm.

We are ever-evolving.
White supremacy shifts over time, and so must we. We adapt our strategies and tactics to be responsive to the changing political landscape, community needs, and the evolving fight for reparative justice.