In an move that some are calling historic and extraordinary, the City Council of Asheville, North Carolina issued an apology on Tuesday for the role the city has played in slavery, discrimination and, denial civil rights to its Black residents over the years and voted to provide reparations to them and their descendants.

The initiative was driven by Councilman Keith Young, and the vote passed through the City Council  unanimously, 7-0.

“Hundreds of years of Black blood spilled that basically fills the cup we drink from today,” said Young, one of only two Black members of the City Council. “It is simply not enough to remove statues. Black people in this country are dealing with issues that are systemic in nature.”

While the City Council’s resolution does not require direct payments, it calls on the city to create the Community Reparations Commission and invest in areas where Black residents face disparities. The role of the commission will be to make recommendations for initiatives and resources.

The approval of the resolution is seen as a huge victory for the Racial Justice Coalition. USA Today reported that the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners is likely to back the town’s resolution due to its Democratic majority, though they have not taken a position on the issue yet.