Congresswoman Maxine Waters Lauds Settlement for Black Farmers

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) released the following statement after the U.S. Government settled for $1.25 billion with black farmers who were discriminated against by the U.S. Department of Agriculture:

"For decades, black farmers repeatedly faced discrimination when dealing with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through bureaucratic loan processes and through a lack of access to capital, resulting in limited or no crop yields and lost income. So the recent decision by the Obama Administration to settle for $1.25 billion with black farmers is a milestone that cannot be underestimated.

I have long been involved in assisting black farmers with their cases and advocating for their rights and reimbursements in Congress. As Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, I convened the first Congressional hearing on the issue in 1997.  And I worked closely with my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) to urge then-Attorney General Janet Reno to waive the statute of limitations so that farmers could redress decades of financial and racial discrimination with the Department of Justice.

So we cheered the 1999 landmark decision in Pigford v. Glickman, a class action lawsuit against the USDA, which has led to payments of approximately $50,000, to date, for over 13,000 farmers.

However, we know that many farmers were immediately caught up in government bureaucracy after the Pigford settlement. Though the 1999 decision allowed some farmers to advocate for more money if they could demonstrate higher losses, many applications were deliberately discarded or denied and the many thousands of farmers who missed the government's original deadline, for a variety of reasons, were left without recourse and were again denied their right to reimbursement.

In the following fiscal year, I introduced and supported amendments that would assist small farmers caught up in this process, set up mediation services under Pigford v. Glickman's consent decree, and elevate the civil rights office at USDA to an Assistant Secretary post. But the fate of the black farmers denied justice time and again hung in the balance and remained largely in limbo.

So a decade later, we are celebrating what has come to be known as Pigford II.

I would especially like to recognize and commend the tireless work of National Black Farmers Association founder and President John Boyd Jr. throughout this entire process. His consistent advocacy on behalf of black farmers has never wavered, and I know I speak for my colleagues and for black farmers when I say we all appreciate and admire his passion and dedication to civil rights.

The Justice and Agriculture Departments have now cleared the way for Congress to act and expedite cash payments and debt forgiveness to the farmers who were denied justice ten years ago; I am grateful that the Obama Administration has taken a strong position on this issue. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to approve this settlement, which will send a strong signal that the U.S. Government is standing up for its past mistakes and committed to helping some of its most vulnerable citizens during these tough economic times."

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