Knoxville District Six Councilman Denzel Grant assumed leadership of the African American Equity Restoration Task Force on July 1, 2026. The task force was established in 2020 by the Knoxville City Council.

The city council passed a resolution requiring the task force to secure $100 million over a 10-year period. Its mandate includes studying, reviewing, and identifying strategic solutions to improve areas of disparity and disenfranchisement in the Black community. The task force is also tasked with working with existing agencies to develop policy and programs for building generational wealth in the Black community.

Projects in the 1950s and 1960s destroyed over 2,000 Black homes and businesses in Knoxville. These same projects pushed Black residents into public housing.

Grant stated that the task force would need the involvement of the entire community to succeed, including elders, youth, business owners, faith leaders, and residents. "The people of Knoxville have always been the power," Grant said. He also stated, "Change is coming because I believe my community is going to rise to build it."