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. […]
Rural Issues
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 […]
