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Long-time Asheville racial justice activist Oralene Simmons said it was only recently that she believed the prominent monument that has appeared on postcards of the city could ever come down. But in light of the time and all of the things we have seen happening lately, and with other cities and states taking down monuments and statutes, I just felt that we were in line to go that way. Simmons, who is Black, co-chaired the Asheville-Buncombe County Vance Monument Task Force, formed after the spring protests. Members were charged with deciding whether to repurpose the monument or tear it down. The task force ultimately voted 11-1 on Nov. 19 to remove it. ....
Vance Monument, honoring Confederate-era governor, should be removed, task force votes Joel Burgess ASHEVILLE A government-appointed task force has voted 11-1 to recommend removing the city s most prominent monument, a marker to Confederate-era governor Zebulon Vance. The official Nov. 19 vote came a week after most task force members said they planned to cast their votes to take down the Vance Monument, rather than repurpose it or relocate it. Asheville s City Council and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners appointed the task force to recommend what to do with the stone obelisk at the center of downtown. Over the years, multiple residents and some council members have called to remove or rename the monument they said glorified slavery and white supremacy. But it was protests following the May 25 death of Black Minneapolis resident George Floyd under the knee of a police officer that spurred the local governments to act. ....