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Uniting for Change
40 Acres in the Land of the Sky Alliance Community Development Corporation
A 501(c)3 nonprofit formed to continue and augment the work of the Asheville/Buncombe Community Reparations Commission
Our Purpose
In Asheville and Buncombe County, North Carolina, structural racism mirrors national patterns. During the early twentieth century, urban renewal initiatives displaced hundreds of Black families and businesses from neighborhoods like East End and Southside under the guise of modernization. These projects decimated generational wealth and fractured thriving Black communities. Redlining and discriminatory lending practices denied Black residents access to homeownership, particularly in neighborhoods later deemed “blighted” by city officials. The education system in Buncombe County remained segregated until court-ordered integration in the 1960s, with Black students often receiving inferior resources. Disparities in school discipline, achievement, and funding persisted. Racial disparities also existed in local policing, health outcomes, and economic mobility. Today, the impacts of these historic policies remain evident in gaps in wealth, education, housing, and health. Asheville became one of the first Southern cities to adopt a reparations resolution in 2020, acknowledging its role in systemic racism and committing to address its compounding harms. While this marks progress, ongoing community-driven efforts remain necessary to dismantle the enduring legacies of structural racism in the region.
-CRC Final Report 2025-
In response to the historical and continuing challenges facing Asheville/Buncombe's Black population, we aspire to empower and revitalize our community by developing affordable housing solutions, fostering economic opportunities, supporting equitable educational opportunities, improving health care access, reforming criminal justice systems, in order to enhance the quality of life for all residents.
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Our Initiatives
Current Focus Areas
Explore our pivotal projects that aim to build community wealth, improve access to services, and enhance public safety for Black residents.
Economic Development
Building Opportunities
We focus on creating economic opportunities through equitable access to resources to empower Black residents.
Affordable Housing
Culturally Responsive Care
We aim to provide access to down payment assistance, rental assistance and advocate for affordable housing solutions throughout the Asheville/Buncombe area.
Universal Early Childhood Education
Reimagining Learning
Our initiatives aim to create equitable educational environments that nurture and empower all youth, ensuring that every child in our community has access to quality education.
Healthy Living
Transforming Systems
We advocate for services and lifestyles that prioritize the well-being of Black residents, fostering trust and improving community relations.
CRC Audit
Reforming Institutions
We support the transformation of local institutions so that they are serving all residents of Asheville and Buncombe County
Cease the Harm Resolution
Addressing Systemic Injustice
We will hold the City of Asheville and Buncombe County accountable for the harms that they have caused, the harms that they perpetuate, and the promises they have made to address those harms
Latest News
Upcoming Events
About Us
In 2020, the City of Asheville and Buncombe County took a historic step by passing resolutions to launch a Community Reparations process addressing the enduring harms of systemic racism. This bold action positioned the region as a national leader in local reparative justice, aiming to develop policy recommendations to repair generations of harm experienced by Black residents across five key areas: criminal justice, education, housing, economic development, and health & wellness.
At the heart of this process was the formation of the Community Reparations Commission (CRC), a Black led, community-driven body comprised of representatives from historically impacted neighborhoods and institutions. Between 2021 and 2025, the CRC convened more than 40 public meetings, engaged hundreds of community members, and collaborated with subject-matter experts to examine historical injustices and current disparities.
The CRC’s work culminated in 39 policy recommendations for systemic repair across the five focus areas. Examples of these recommendations include establishing a Black wealth-building fund, creating community land trusts, expanding access to culturally responsive healthcare, reimagining school curricula to reflect Black history, and transforming public safety systems.
Among these recommendations is the formation of a 501c(3) nonprofit development corporation charged with continuing the work of the commision and augmenting or taking the lead on projects stemming from the commission’s recommendations. 40 Acres in the Land of the Sky Alliance CDC is the manifestation of that recommendation.
Composed of 9 former CDC commissioners, we are intimately familiar with the 39 CDC recommendations and their intent. We have already dedicated 4 years of our lives to this initiative and strongly support the continued effort to make Asheville/Buncombe the equitable, diverse, and inclusive community that it claims to be.
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