National Black Farmers Association Filed Briefs in the White Farmers Lawsuits in Florida, Texas and Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin case is just one of at least five federal lawsuits now filed against Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to block assistance provided by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. .
The National Black Farmers Association (NBFA) and Association of American Indian Farmers Association (AAIF) filed joint briefs opposing the injunctions against the Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color to be provided by USDA. At least 4 additional cases have been filed by white farmers in Florida, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming also seeking injunctions to block the USDA from disbursing the aid to Black and other Farmers of Color.
“I will fight all the way to the US Supreme Court!”, said Boyd. Justice too long sought by Black and other minority farmers in this country is once again facing unjustified delay.
As a Black farmer who has fought for justice for more than 30 years, I was thrilled to see debt relief for Farmers of Color included in the American Rescue Plan Act. But just a few days ago, U.S. District Judge William Griesbach—who was appointed to the federal court by then-President George W. Bush—issued a restraining order against the program, effectively putting a halt to the most comprehensive plan to date for addressing discrimination in the USDA.
In his argument, Judge Griesbach stated that there is “no evidence of intentional discrimination by the USDA” in recent years—despite ample evidence to the contrary. In fact, evidence that the USDA disproportionately denied or delayed loans to Black farmers is well documented by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the Government Accountability Office, Congress, and even USDA itself. Plentiful, too, is the proof that discrimination at USDA has created an unlevel and unfair playing field for Black farmers in relation to our white neighbors.
As a Black farmer who has been the victim of loan discrimination, as a farmer who has been called racial slurs and spit upon by a USDA agent, I am disgusted but not surprised by Judge Griesbach’s ruling—one that reflects an all-too-common ignorance regarding the history of discrimination at USDA. Racism is baked into this nation’s subsidy programs, and Judge Griesbach’s decision speaks volumes to the challenges we still face.
I call upon my fellow farmers, neighbors and friends to join us in facing them together.
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