Equity, intersectionality, and diverse community are truly a part of the lifeblood of BeLoved Asheville. Equity goes to the heart of everything that we do. We understand the root causes of systemic racism and the long-term inequities present in our city, region, and nation. We have a profound belief and commitment throughout our organization to community–we believe and trust that people have the ability and brilliance to create their own solutions. If we look through an equity lens at the way things are and have been in our society, we understand that people have been denied the tools, resources, and power they need to survive and thrive. Our organization works at every level to restore these things so that systems, institutions, and places are transformed and healed and equity can truly be realized so that ALL people can thrive.
BeLoved Asheville has over a decade of experience in movement building and advocacy for racial and economic justice and human rights in Western North Carolina. We have been on the frontlines of leading social change movements since our founding in 2009 and have established ourselves as a trusted community-based organization. We inspire and organize action where people know their voices and lives matter, they have power and the ability to create solutions, and see that change is possible.
At BeLoved, black, indigenous, people of color, queer, and low-wealth people and their allies are fused together in our common goal to create equity and a place of thriving for everyone. We create shared resources to boldly realize our personal, family, and community destinies. We are leaders who call our community and nation to racial equity and healing through policy advocacy, education, and shared work. We come together to celebrate and reclaim our cultures connecting through art, traditional foods, language, history, and shared value systems. We design sacred spaces for healing to help strengthen our collective resiliency. We host community celebrations, create art installations, and design street altars to bring pride back to our communities.
Equity Impacts
118
directly impacted community leaders trained
257
cultural events and community art projects
7,562
children and youth supported
22,646
community members engaged in activities supporting equity
Advocated since 2016 for reparations & for the divestment from harm and the re-distribution of resources from the City budget
A leader in culturally relevant initiatives led by BIPOC community members