BANFF Tickets on Sale Now
BANFF Tickets on Sale Now
Seats are limited. RSVP below.
As our Block Party campaign works to advance better housing policy for the City of Asheville in the coming years, we cannot afford to ignore the history of housing policy in this country and in our city that has benefitted some residents at the expense of others. We do not want to repeat the mistakes of the past.
To that end, we are hosting a screening of Urban Renewal Impact: The Movie at the MountainTrue office on December 10th and will have an open discussion afterwards about how this history should and does affect our policy advocacy today.
More about the film: In 2023, filmmaker Todd Gragg produced Black in Asheville, a documentary exploring the rich yet often overlooked history of Asheville’s Black community. During the project, he collaborated with Priscilla Robinson, a dedicated researcher with over 15 years of experience investigating the deep wounds left by urban renewal. Their shared discovery made one thing clear: urban renewal was not just an isolated policy—it was a defining, destructive force that reshaped Asheville and countless Black communities across America.
Urban Renewal Impact takes a hard look at Asheville’s past through the lens of those who lived it. This film traces how city leaders, long focused on cultivating Asheville as a white-led tourism destination, excluded Black residents from their plans. From convict leasing that forced Black men to build the city’s foundation to federally funded projects that razed entire Black neighborhoods, Urban Renewal Impact reveals a truth rarely acknowledged: progress for some came at the expense of others.
Far from offering neat conclusions, the film opens space for reflection, raising critical questions about justice, memory, and responsibility. It confronts the loss of homes, businesses, and generational wealth, and considers how the legacy of displacement continues to shape the lives of Black Ashevillians today.
Urban Renewal Impact is not just a local story—it is part of a national reckoning with policies that devastated Black communities in the name of progress. Through powerful visuals, community voices, and historical insight, this film challenges us to remember, to reckon, and to act.
Parking: street parking is available. Please be mindful of parking in the Pink Dog Creative lot next door as they reserve this lot for patrons of their businesses.
