It’s a long-overdue victory!
For 40 years, the National Black Farmers Association (NBFA), founded by John Boyd Jr., has stood on the front lines for Black farmers. The organization represents the needs of African American farmers and their families in the United States, advocating for issues most important to them, including civil rights, land retention, access to public and private loans, education, agricultural training, and rural economic development, PR Newswire reports. Now, after a decades-long fight against discriminatory practices in farm lending from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the organization has secured a $2.2 billion settlement.
The win is historic, brought about as a result of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) signed into law by President Biden just two years ago. Approximately 43,000 farmers will benefit from the payout, each receiving settlements of up to $500,000 the average awarded amount being $82,000. The fund will provide long-awaited financial assistance to farmers who have struggled to make ends meet while fighting against racism and discrimination from the USDA prior to 2021. The process was long and arduous, with a third-party administrator carefully evaluating each case and the application process extremely lengthy, exacerbating the frustration of farmers.
Still, Boyd says it was all worth it, reflecting on the long road to this moment and previous payouts the organization has secured on behalf of Black farmers.
“No matter how it is sliced, the $2.2 billion in payouts is historic. In 1999, Black farmers received a $1 billion payout. In 2013, a $1.25 billion payment was made in a late filers’ lawsuit settlement,” explained Boyd.
The NBAF has also worked to secure similar settlements for other groups, including Hispanic, Women, and Native American farmers. Progress is ever-evolving, and Boyd acknowledges that there are still challenges ahead, Black farmers dealing with banks denying them access to operating funds, lack of farm ownership loans, and recent claims of discrimination by major companies like John Deere. Still, they plan to continue fighting and get all that is owed to them. For now, they celebrate.
To learn more about the NBAF’s historic victory and get involved, visit www.blackfarmers.org.
Cover photo: Black Farmers Receive $2 Billion Payout From USDA After Historic Discrimination Lawsuit/John Boyd Jr., President of National Black Farmers Association & Kara Brewer Boyd, President of Association American Indian Farms with Attorney Ben Crump on Capitol Hill, October 2022/Photo Credit: National Black Farmers Association/PR Newswire