The African American Equity Restoration Task Force will have its first meeting at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 25, at Beck Cultural Exchange, located at 1927 Dandridge Ave. 

**Beck Cultural Exchange Center asks everyone to adhere to their COVID-19 protocols, which includes wearing a mask while indoors.**

Office of Community Empowerment Director Charles F. Lomax, Jr. will facilitate the meeting, and Beck Cultural Exchange Center President Rev. Renee Kesler will present on Knoxville history. 

The meeting is open to the public but will not include a public forum. 

The Task Force was created in December 2020 when Vice Mayor Gwen McKenzie proposed and City Council approved a resolution to invest $100 million over a 10-year period in Knoxville’s Black neighborhoods, which were largely destroyed during urban renewal projects of the 1950s and ‘60s. The resolution called for the creation of African American Equity Restoration Task Force to oversee the investments, which will mostly come from grants. 

The Task Force’s goal is to study, review and identify strategic solutions to improve areas of disparity and disenfranchisement in the Black community, work with existing community agencies and develop policy, programs and recommendations that will establish opportunities for generational wealth building in the Black community.

The City of Knoxville ensures meaningful access to City programs, services and activities to comply with Civil Rights Title VI and ADA Title II laws and reasonably provides: translation, interpretation, modifications, accommodations, alternative formats, auxiliary aids and services. To request language translation services, contact Diversity and Inclusion Officer Tatia M. Harris at [email protected] or 865-215-2831. For disability accommodations, contact City ADA Coordinator Stephanie Brewer Cook at [email protected] or 865-215-2034 at least 72 hours before the meeting.

For information, including names and biographies of Task Force members, visit KnoxvilleTN.gov/EquityTaskForce.