Farmers of color plan to appeal a recent federal court judge’s ruling, which they say is a continuation of Jim Crow and erases their commitment to right the historical wrongs against them. Six months ago, John Boyd Jr., Kara Boyd, Lester Bonner, and Princess Williams filed a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. government, including the […]
Black Farmers
Posted inBlack Farmers, Rural Issues
Black Farmers Looked to Cash In on the CBD Industry. Now, Hemp Is in Decline.
When Brendalyn King and her partner, Osei Doyle, quit their jobs and left Brooklyn, New York, in 2020 to buy land, they had high hopes of entering the growing industrial hemp industry. They moved to Salem, Illinois, to farm on a family friend’s land until they were able to buy the property. However, they never […]
Posted inBlack Farmers, Rural Issues
These USDA Programs Want to Advance Equity — but They Don’t Ask for Applicants’ Race
A group of white farmers sued the federal government last year over a $4 billion loan forgiveness program created for farmers of color. The lawsuit stalled payment distribution to Black recipients and pushed the Biden administration to replace the race-conscious program — created to address past discrimination by the USDA — with a race-neutral version. […]
Posted inBlack Farmers, Rural Issues
The Government Failed to Help Black Farmers. These Women Created a Fund for Them.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decades of discrimination against Black farmers has resulted in lost land, economic instability, and a decline of diversity in the industry. During the pandemic, access to capital became an even larger barrier for farmers trying to keep their farms or, in the case of new farmers, obtain land. Farmer-activists Olivia […]
Posted inBlack Farmers, Rural Issues
Racial Discrimination Lawsuit Against Federal Debt Relief Program Dismissed
The class-action lawsuit brought by a group of white farmers alleging that a federal debt relief program racially discriminated against them has been dismissed. Five white farmers sued the U.S. agriculture secretary last year to challenge the constitutionality of a $4 billion debt forgiveness program that targeted socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, including Black farmers. […]
Posted inBlack Farmers, Rural Issues
Why the Inflation Reduction Act Doesn’t ‘Level the Playing Field’ for Black Farmers
President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law last week, drawing praise for shoveling billions of dollars into clean energy efforts. But while the sweeping measure takes historic steps to address climate issues, some environmental experts have called out its failure to address generations of discrimination against Black farmers. After Congress promised last […]
Posted inBlack Farmers, Rural Issues
Mistrust of USDA Could Cause Black Farmers to Lose Out on Funding
For decades, the U.S. government has racially discriminated against Black farmers through federal agriculture programs, denied them loans and contributed to billions of dollars in lost land. One recent example: A $4 billion federal loan forgiveness program for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers — including those who are Black — has been halted, the result […]
