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. […]
Rural Issues
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 inPartner Content, Rural Issues
Traveling Oral Surgeon Meets Small-Town People Where They Live
This story originally appeared in The Daily Yonder. When Cesar Martinez started feeling the pain in his mouth, he knew his battle to get his wisdom teeth taken care of would be a tough one. Martinez lives in Newburgh, New York, a city of 29,000 residents about 40 miles north of New York City. Getting […]
Posted inRural Issues
Meet Deidre DeJear, the Black Woman Hoping to Become Iowa’s Next Governor
Deidre DeJear is used to being a “first.” In 2018, she became the first Black person nominated by a major party for a statewide office in Iowa when she campaigned for secretary of state. Now, she’s Iowa’s first Black nominee for governor, hoping to unseat Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds in a historic midterm election on […]
Posted inRural Issues
Meet the Rural, Black Voters Who Hold the Key to Georgia’s Midterm Elections
WAYNESBORO, Ga. — In the midday heat on a late September afternoon, Shamarius “Sham” Bolton, a 25-year-old lead canvasser with the New Georgia Project, scrolled on his phone to find the next house on his list of registered voters. His task was simple: Talk to residents about their hopes, concerns, and plans for November’s midterm […]
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 […]
Posted inRural Issues
Black Moms in Rural Areas on WIC Are Devastated By Formula Shortage
Ayanna White is used to seeing families in crisis. As the founder of a South Carolina diaper bank, she provides baby supplies to residents experiencing financial hardship. But the nation’s infant formula shortage has put her on the front lines of an “unimaginable” crisis, she says, one that’s hitting rural, low-income parents particularly hard. White […]