African American farmers

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Black Farmers Fight Gov’t Discrimination
By Stu Singer, in The Militant, 20 January 1997. Fifty Black farmers and supporters from the National Black Farmers Association demonstrated in front of the White House to protest racist discrimination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). USDA reports show unjust denials and stalling of loans to Black farmers.
Black Farmers Discuss Their Fight To Stay On The Land
By Stu Singer and Joan Paltrineri, in The Militant, 21 April 1997. The National Black Farmers Association calls for a demonstration in Washington April 23 to protest continued racist discrimination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Sharecroppers; squeezing a living out of a relic of the old South
By Paisley Dodds, AP 28 December 1997. Sharecropping took root after the Civil War when freed slaves who had little money and farming expertise would work a farmer’s land, receiving seed, animals and equipment in return for half the profits. The system tended to keep the ex-slaves tied to a life of dependency and small earnings because the landowners often marketed the crops, kept the books and lent the sharecroppers cash at high interest rates.
Black farmers take land dispute to U.N.
By Akwasi Evans, NY Daily Challenge, 25 March 1998. John Boyd, president of the National Black Farmers Association delivered a petition to the U.N., requesting that it investigate widespread violations of their human rights.
No 40 Acres and a Mule: An Interview with a Displaced Black Farmer
By Dr. Robert D. Bullard, of the Environmental Justice Resource Center (EJRC), 25 June 1999, and a plaintiff in the Black farmers lawsuit. History of the Black farmer since the Civil War.
Black Farmers Fight For Change: Eddie Carthan, Former Mayor of Tchula, Describes Struggle In Mississippi Delta
By Susan Lamont and Ronald Martin, in The Militant, 18 January 1999. The historic fight against the discriminatory practices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Black Farmers and Institutionalized Racism
By Brian Oliver Sheppard, May 2000. Settlement of a long and bitter class action lawsuit against the US Dept. of Agriculture by black farmers alleging discriminatory lending practices. The USDA settlement stimulation poses quite a problem for the black farmers who claim that unfair, racist practices by the government agency caused them to lose their farms or suffer unnecessary hardships.
The Last Plantation
By Anuradha Mittal and Joan Powell, Institute for Food and Development Policy/Food First Backgrounder, Winter 2000. Hundreds of black farmers have filed administrative complaints or lawsuits charging that for decades USDA loan officials have discouraged, delayed, or rejected loan applications because of their race. These charges have been upheld by federal officials.