June 21st 2023.
In 2022, Congress revoked funding for the federal government that would have eliminated outstanding debt for minority farmers, prompting them to fight back. In August of that year, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, reversing Section 1005 of the American Rescue Plan Act and leaving minority farmers out in the cold. In response, the National Black Farmers Association, represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, filed a class action lawsuit against the government.
John Wesley Boyd Jr., founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association, expressed his dismay to NewsOne in October. “I’m prepared to fight for debt relief for Black, Native American, and other farmers of color all the way to the Supreme Court. I’m not going to stop fighting this,” he said.
In an official statement, Attorney Crump accused the government of breaching contracts under Section 1006 of the ARPA. The contracts would have granted financial compensation to minority farmers who had experienced past discrimination from the USDA, in order to avoid litigation.
The USDA defended its decision, citing legal battles as the reason for not disbursing the funds. According to the USDA, the Inflation Reduction Act offers a new way to provide relief to indebted farmers, providing $3.1 billion to help keep them on the land. Additionally, the organization shared that farmers who’d experienced past discrimination would be awarded $2.2 billion for additional financial aid.
Despite the setback, farmers and ranchers are determined to receive compensation. They have an essential role in the country’s food production and they feel it is now time that they reap the benefits of their hard work. John Wesley Boyd Jr. summed up this sentiment in an interview with Fox and Friends First: “Something is terribly, terribly wrong with this picture, and we have to look at what’s really going on. The American farmer is suffering right here, with the highest input costs we’ve had in our nation’s history for America’s farms. We are here struggling, and we’re managing to help countries like China and Russia, America’s two biggest adversaries.”
The National Black Farmers Association is continuing to pursue legal action in an effort to secure fair compensation for the farmers affected by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. This long-standing battle speaks to the continued struggle against inequality for minority farmers in the US.
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