Monday, October 28, 2024

America, Do You See What I See? Do You Hear What I Hear?

His followers insult Puerto Rico, calling it a floating island of trash. 

Calls Kamala Harris the "antichrist." 

Labels Democrats as smart and vicious. 

Has Dr. Phil misrepresent history and insults DEI.

Immigrants are "poisoning the blood of our nation." 

Trump's 2024 rally in MSG mimics the 1939 Nazi rally.

Immigrants commit more crime, take our money, vote for Democrats, and other mangled nonsense. 

Hitler did some good things, per John Kelly, a quote of JDT.

Wants the kind of generals Hitler had, but the top six:  one suicide and the other five sentenced to death.

Failed during the COVID pandemic. The US' death rate was far beyond that of other countries because he dallied. 

Created far less jobs than any other president since Reagan while the most has been Biden. 

Is in bed with white nationalists. Just go back and listen to the sound bites from Charlottesville. 

He claims to be God's annointed. 

Chose a VP who voted against aid to Israel and then  changed his mind. 

Increased the national debt by approximately $8T during his term. 

Favors the richest of the rich by reducing their taxes which increases taxes on the middle class.

Thinks that tariffs is a good idea when it will only create higher costs for us. 

Uses awfully coarse language in rallies and public speeches. 

Is complicit with Project 2025 and its authors. Says he is not familiar with it but his name is mentioned numerous times and he's been seen traveling with the Heritage Foundation president before he was fired. 

Insulted a Hispanic family whose daughter was murdered by saying behind closed doors, "No f***ing Mexican is worth that much?"

Insulted both the audience and Arnold Palmer and his family by commenting on his private parts. 

Continues to show mental decline and growing inabilities to reign his impulsivity in.

May be, according to some high ranking officials, be compromised and held hostage by Putin.

Insults people left and right like refusing to pronounce Ms. Harris' name correctly. 

Selected a running mate with a sketchy history of re-eventing himself for the sake of expediency and votes. 

Selected a running mate with 1 1/2 years experience in Congress and is a smooth talker, but is woefully inexperienced. 

Runs a negative, bombastic, insulting campaign, full of disinformation, and in particular insults VP Kamala Harris, claiming that she is dumb or  that she is "mentally incompetent" or "retarded?"

Asserts frequently that Harris wants illegals to vote for her. 

Made FBI stop investigating Kavanaugh's sexual offenses.

Has large groups of physicians and mental health professionals claiming that he is incompetent to run our country.

Often speaks in "word salads" pulling random things out of wherever and puts them in a random sentence structure, and using that to describe how brilliant he is. 

Says repeatedly that FEMA is out of money because the Harris gave it all to illegal immigrants. 

Provided Putin with COVID supplies while American citizens were doing without and dying.

Has continued to talk periodically with Putin in violation of the Logan Act.

Led the White House that shut down investigation into Kavanaugh's background which might have altered his acceptance to the Supreme Court.

Has lied about FEMA and hurricanes wreaking havoc in the SE. 

Says that immigrants have bad DNA while explains their propensity to murder.

Gives poor data and explanation into immigrants and crimes. 

Lies, lies, lies, lies, and more lies. 

Claims he is a very honest person which resulted in laughter by his interviewer.

Continues to assert that tax breaks to the wealthiest benefits middle class and lower class.

On camera has slurred speech, run out of energy, and speaks "word salads" which continues a little bit of everything, which he explains as his brilliance.

Told the audience that Putin can do whatever he wants with those NATO nations not paying their 2% of their GDP. 

After being found guilty of fraud and owing millions of dollars, shows up at a sneak.com and hawks his $399 gold plated shoes with a T on them. 

Asserts that there will be a blood bath if he is not elected.

Asserts that he will go after people who opposed him. 

Asserts that just a one hour or one day blood bath will stop crime in the US

Refuses to rebuke Putin in the death of Alexii Navalny.

Rambles on incoherently, misses key names and places, and slams Biden for less of the same.

Declares vengeance upon those who have opposed him.

Will serve as a dictator for one day. Just one day? 

Promises to pardon J6 participants who are in jail or prison. 

Compares his persecution to that of Navalny who was murdered in Russia.

One of his supporters, Jack Posobiec, vows to finish what happened on January 6, and from Trump, crickets. 

91 charges filed against him with 4 indictments.

Courts and/or judges rendered verdicts of $454M in a civil fraud case and $83.3M in a defamation case brought by E. Jean Carroll. 

In February alone, Donald Trump encouraged Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to NATO allies that do not contribute sufficiently to the military alliance.

He refused to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin for the death of Alexei Navalny, 47, a Kremlin critic who died suddenly on Feb. 16 in a Russian penal colony — instead likening himself to Navalny, arguing they were both political prisoners.

And in a Fox News town hall Tuesday evening, he praised Russia for being “a war machine.”

Uses his platform to insult people such as Jimmy Fallon at the Oscars.

Claims to be God's chosen.

Convicted against Ms. Carrol.

Convicted by the state of NY which likely shows that his wealth is a shell game.

Has followers who believe he is a messiah or prophet, ordained of God.

Plans to turn our democracy into an authoritarian theocracy

Denigrates the Constitution.

Creates "events" to fool his followers by using "pseudo events" that are essentially "performative fiction."

Admires Hitler and Mussolini and is following their playbooks.

Will likely sell out Ukraine to Putin.

Is quoted as admiring Putin, Xe, and other dictators.

Vows to bring back Christianity, or his version of it, as a national religion, despite the specific clause in the Constitution that asserts that Congress shall not make any religion a state religion.

Mismanaged and criminalized the presidency.

His administration had an incredibly large number of charges against them, more than any other.

Judged to be the worst president in the history of the USA.

Not even his mother thought fondly of him and warned about him getting into politics because he would be a disaste.

Declared his wealth, but actually was given $400M by his father.

Despite his alleged wealth and power, he plays the victimization game.

Vindictive and self absorbed.

Convicted felon who can't legally carry a gun but can run for office.

Attempted to steal an election despite telling his closest of employees that he knew that he'd lost to Biden.

Insults numerous people including Biden and his stutter.

Attempted to run the government like he did his businesses.

Has had six bankruptcies, but claims to be good at business.

Added $7.8T to the US debt by giving huge tax cuts to the wealthiest while little to none of it trickled down to us.

Promises a blood bath if he is not elected. 

Judged to be a security risk, i.e., Biden should not give Trump classified materials unless he is elected. 

Believes that Joe Biden won the presidency over Barack Obama. 

Blames everyone but himself in his multi-court, multi-charges debacle.

Hawks Bibles and tennis shoes as fund raisers for this his legal fees.

Now selling $500K watches along with shoes and Bibles. 

Autographs Bibles and the American flag. Isn't the latter illegal?

Pulls campaign contributions over into paying for his enormous legal fees.

Believes that violence, threats of violence, and incendiary language are a normal part of his discourse.

Whose followers painted a picture on the back of a pickup truct of Biden tied up.

Verbally and in writing attacks judges, judges families, various DAs, President Biden, and other people with his inflammatory rhetoric.

Coaxes a crowd of young Christians at a rally in AZ to chant "bullshit, bullshit, bullshit....."

Convicted by a jury of his peers in NYC of felony charges on 34 counts.

Promises billionaires that he will slash their taxes if they vote for him.

Insults judge, attorneys, and others such that he has to have a gag order placed on him.

Insults the jury and the decision of his 34 convictions.

Asks Speaker of the House Johnson to work with him to get the court's decision nullified.

Asking Republican lawmakers to create a law that will transfer state cases to federal courts.

Promises to pay back those who have been against him.

Asserts that J6 was a peaceful gathering and that there was a lot of love there, while he and his family were in a tent on the capital grounds watching the insurrection unfold,

Speaks in incoherent "word salads" such as in the case of his monologue about religion.

Claims to be 6'3" 215, but the photo shows him pudge and overweight against other man who are that same height and weight.

Tells some of his followers that he does not like them, that he just wants their votes.

Has a history of screwing those who work for him, promising to pay when the job is completed, but when it is completed he denis payment as the work was inadequate (read his book for that one).

Guilty of sexual assault and defaming the woman to the tune of approximately $1/2M.

His followers refuse to examine his failing mental health, cognitive deficits, and faulty memory, but instead focus on Biden and his gafes and stuttering as some mental illness.

Insults Taylor Swift, asserting that she is working for Biden, and getting more young voters to vote for the Democrats.

Tells 30 lies in the first debate with President Biden,

Mocks others, the "other abled," and Biden's stuttering problem. 

Mocks those coming across the border as taking "Black jobs," and what are "Black jobs," and alas, that is bigotry wrapped up in bigotry. Reverend Warnock said it and I believe it. When I heard the former president use that terminology, I looked at my wife and cringed. I knew of the dark place this was coming from. 



Thursday, October 24, 2024

Dear VIce President Harris: Can We Talk?

October 24, 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20050

We represent the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees and the Justice for Black Farmers Group, and we have done so since our beginning with the United States Agriculture (USDA) in 1994 as we have advocated for Black farmers as well as for women within the institution who are being mistreated.

Our motivations for contacting you are simple. Vice President Harris, you have the President’s ear in these final days, and you have much influence with the American people and various subgroups want your support and for that, you get their votes.

We have had two in-depth conversations/interviews with Drs. Cornel West and Jill Stein. As you know, they are candidates for the presidency in 2024. We just talked a few weeks ago to Dr. Stein in Philadelphia regarding widespread abuses at the USDA. Both of them expressed a deep concern about the lack of leadership, accountability, transparency, oversight, and justice which are lacking at the USDA. We wish to hear the same from the two of you.

We recognize within a few short weeks that the people will have spoken and you, VP Harris, stand an excellent chance at being our next president. In these unprecedented times, much is demanded of our public servants, perhaps more than at most any time in the history of our country. This letter, then, will provide the justification for our list of asks.

Black farmers’ skepticism of President Biden remains entrenched and as his VP, some of that follows you. And, our opposition to the President appointing Vilsack goes back to the very beginning.

As we wrote in our most recent letter to you and President Biden on August 16, 2024, our message has been consistent since our inception in 1994 as the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees. From the earlies stages of our communications with Vilsack in 2011, the White House, staffers, and others, our message has been clear and our list of concerns lengthy and legitimate. In fact, a lengthier list is found in correspondence with President Biden in 2022 in which we advocated for systemic change.

We have previously chronicled some crucial historical points, beginning with Senator Elizabeth Warren during her campaign for the presidency, and the development of her policy to address Black land loss, racism, USDA’s failures, and a myriad of other matters in a document that became the standard bearer for the promotion of justice for Black farmers.

Several senators including Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, and Raphael Warnock succeeded in writing and submitting to the Senate an important piece of legislation, The Justice for Black Farmers Act.  It marked the significance of historical issues and mistreatment of Black farmers.

We have found the White House and the USDA to be closed systems, closed to us in particular in our efforts to address the concerns noted above to the officials who have the influence to take corrective measures. Secretary Vilsack ignored us except for one unsatisfactory meeting via technology as has President Biden. Only Cedric Richmond and William T. McIntee, in the Office of Public Engagement gave us a fair hearing.

We participated with the agriculture transition team, learned that it was steered by Tom Vilsack, and were informed eventually that what we were seeking was unconstitutional. Next came the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) that brought about the banking industry’s complaints and a slow walking process by Secretary Vilsack that allowed twelve frivolous and racist lawsuits to be filed by white farmers alleging reverse discrimination. See those details here.

With the passage of the ARPA, we celebrated with Senators Warnock, Warren, and Booker and numerous Black farmers and members of the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees and the Justice for Black Farmers group, but our celebration was short lived and the courts and the white farmer cases stymied our progress.

Senators Raphael Warnock and Cory Booker have in the past shown their interest and concerns regarding the continued abuse at USDA; however, in the past few years because of their busy schedules and political obligations, they have been prevented from doing what is really needed at USDA…..to put the Department into “receivership.” The reason is that USDA is not properly carrying out or implementing its own rules and regulations. The decades of failures regarding Black farmers and abuse of women employees at the US Forest Service, has been long documented at USDA, in the Congress, and nationwide.

Next, Congress passed the race neutral Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 which allocated $3.1B for “distressed borrowers” who could be of any race or gender and their debts would be brought to zero. Additionally, a sum of $2.2B was allocated for farmers who could prove that they had experienced discrimination, regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, and gender. We critiqued this bill and its outcomes quite intensely in a letter to the President. The process proved to be laborious but ultimately approximately $1.76B was allocated to Black farmers and the remainder to others.

The process was laborious and complicated, some farmers died before they could see any benefits from the lengthy chain of events and entities. Relatively few of our friends received any benefits as it appears that the few who did were hand-picked by the USDA.

So, that is where we are with regard to finances. However, the saga continues with other matters, and we would like to outline them for you.

We know of zero Black farmers meeting with the President though we do know of a few who have met with FSA Director, Zach Ducheneaux. Their voices are important and unheard.

A significant piece of research found that between 1910 and 1997, Black farmers losses amounted to approximately $326B. Those losses will never be made up. In terms of the pandemic relief funding of billions of dollars, only 0.1% went to Black farmers. This is one example of the many burdens placed upon our Black farmers in rural America.

Various studies from within the federal government have validated what we believe, that inadequacies impact all of us. In November, 2023, the General Accounting Office (GAO) provided a scathing rebuke of the internal tracking system for complaints. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) reported in September, 2021 that the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights was failing to process complaints in a timely manner and potential circumvention of the law. A recent doctoral dissertation provided a negative evaluation of the county committee system, one which continues to be protected by Secretary Vilsack.

Secretary Vilsack refuses to provide information about loans and services by race, asserting that to do so would be illegal, despite two Farm Bills that demand the collection and dispersal of this information. We know globally but not specifically these numbers.

Various investigative reports “The Machine that Eats up Black Farmland,” by Joyce, Rosenberg, and Stucki; ”Forced Off Their Land,” by Holloway; and “How USDA Distorted Data to Conceal Decades of Discrimination Against Black Farmers,” by Rosenberg and Stucki; and numerous internal and external reports, accumulated by the Environmental Working Group, all tell the tragedies of white farmers being advantaged in all areas by comparison to Black farmers. These matters of racism and injustice have been occurring under the current administration as well as that of Obama, Bush, Clinton, and previous administrations for decades. The USDA acts as if it is a law to themselves and fails at too many levels to display transparency, accountability, and a commitment to removing racism from its halls and offices. The Equity Commission of Vilsack and the failures of the County Committee system are two that are most obvious to us.

While this is merely the tip of the iceberg for us as advocates, we have not been silent nor invisible. We have written numerous letters to the White House, the USDA, and to others. We have published many letters in various open forums. Perhaps you know that on March 1, 2023, a large number of us demonstrated in front of the White House with placards, signs, and megaphones.  

We, therefore, have several asks of you, Vice President Harris. We hear you say that you are not afraid of good ideas and that you will not shy away from them. Here, therefore, are our issues to discuss with you and/or your top advisors.

Work together with us and meet with us as have Drs. West and Stein;

Place USDA at the top of your list of priorities and create practical options for rural America and Black farmers;

Hear and validate the pain and suffering of Black farmers and families; 

Address the problems within the Office of Civil Rights and compel the office to settle complaints of Black farmers that are languishing there;

Appoint a new Secretary within your administration, one with the trust of Black farmers and other advocates;

Compel USDA to develop a course of action that eliminates sexism and sexual assaults and other abuses experienced by women in the forestry division, Western Region; 

Compel USDA to develop a course of action that eliminates racism and unfair practices that disadvantage Black farmers and favor white farmers; 

Compel USDA to develop processes that create justice, accountability, and transparency throughout the Department; and 

Require the leadership within USDA address the area in which most discrimination occurs, the Farm Service Administration at the county committee level. 

Many African Americans in urban America are only one or two generations away from the farm in rural America and it is important to know the deep connections between the two. Some of us feel forgotten because of the extensive focus on urban America. To begin to address these matters even prior to the election would make a dramatic statement to our people. Black farmers and families are rural America.

 

We follow you and your campaign closely and appreciate the town halls that you have been in including the one on CNN last night. We understand your time constraints as you travel and speak over the next two weeks. Therefore, we request an immediate conversation with one of your closest advisors, Cedric Richmond, to discuss our issues and concerns relative to Black and minority farmers and abused women within USDA and larger systemic issues.  

We stand available to answer any and all of your questions and assist you in this regard. Many Black farmers and their advocates feel abandoned by our Black leadership in Washington and in rural America. We are “the voice of the voiceless.”

Respectfully,

---S---

Lawrence Lucas
President Emeritus, USDA Coalition for Minority Employees
Representative, Justice for Black Farmers Group
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064681597169
www.blackmeninAmerica.com
LawrLCL@aol.com
856-910-2399 

 ---S---

Waymon R. Hinson, Ph.D.
Representative, USDA Coalition of Minority Employees
Representative, Justice for Black Farmers Group
www.letjusticering.blogspot.com
Psychologist
Waymon.hinson@gmail.com
903-271-4654

 

 

Friday, August 30, 2024

Friday Mornings Afterwards

I generally awaken on Friday mornings in a rather pensive mood after a blog radio radio program. Led by a legend in the Black Farmer Movement, Lawrence Lucas, and often accompanied by Michael Stovall, Rod Bradshaw, Marcel Reid, Corey Lea, or me, his questions are like those of a therapist when the questions quicken the spirit and probe the depths of one's character. These fourth Thursdays of the month have become one of my favorite times of the month. 

Last night we discussed our latest letter to Biden/Harris with its hopes and explanations; the letter I wrote to VP candidate JD Vance; and how the USDA disseminated $2.2B for those discriminated against. All of these materials and more are here on my blog. I hope you'll take some time and mosey by over there. 

This conversation was especially intense as we discussed malevolent means of stealing land from Black farmers, limits of what a Black farmer should own, ways and means the USDA has of getting money from Black farmers despite rules that prohibit such actions, the VP candidate's misguided comments about Black farmers recently, and whether or not one party is better than another for Black farmers. 

One thing that Lawrence and I frequently discuss is the list of those who have gone on to the ancestors. Both of us silently weep over the names, faces, and stories.  

In preparing both for the radio program as well as the summary document outlining the ups and downs and ins and outs of the USDA's attempt to compensate Black farmers and others for discrimination that had been perpetrated against them, I listened to this song. It is a version of "Blowin' in the Wind" by Pentatonix that I like. It appeals to me because there are numerous lines in this amazing song that speak directly to the heinous acts of malfeasance that have been perpetrated upon Black farmers in the face of what certainly looks like intentional efforts to steal land for Black farmers and to make them landless

Listen to this song and see if you agree with me about applications:






Thursday, August 29, 2024

"How Many Deaths Will It Take.....?" Or Will the USDA's Discrimination Funds Settle the Score?

“Blowin’ In the Wind,” originally written and recorded by Bob Dylan back in the ‘60s sends a chilling message to those of us who are involved in the Black Farmer Movement. Here is a cover by Pentatonix that moves me deeply. The line, “How many deaths will it take till we know that too many people have died?” sends chills down my spine. And the refrain, “The answer is blowin’ in the wind” rings true. Sometimes in radio programs or presentations or even the Whistleblowers Conference and Film Festival, we will read the names of Black farmers who have died fighting these battles. Seeing that list and reading those names brings tears to our eyes as our emotions run deep.

By now many know that checks have been written to various farmers of all races and genders from the United States Department of the Treasury. We know that some are pleased and some are still in agony, and those are just the ones who applied.  

But the questions remain, how did we get here? And what were the governmental processes that allow for these decisions to be made?

You will find in other places my opinions about how Black farmers have been discriminated against since the very beginning of the US Department of Agriculture from the days of President Lincoln all the way up to now. Those articles of mine and of others tell the brutal truth of “farming while Black in America.” It is an ugly picture, especially for those of us who value our country and freedom to choose and the knowledge that we will be respected as all of us are created equal.

The Justice for Black Farmers Act never saw the light of day, but we appreciate its authors, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Raphael Warnock, Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, and perhaps others.

While the American Rescue Plan Act was being debated back in 2021, Senator Warnock placed a couple of things into the Bill that was a stroke of genius. That Bill, had it not been sabotaged by a group of white farmers with their racist, in my opinion, attorneys, would have covered 100% of the farmers’ indebtedness plus 20% for taxes. However, as I have written elsewhere, Secretary Vilsack slow-walked the process, American bankers protested, and lawsuits were filed in the name of “reverse discrimination” across the country. Two judges made decisions to halt the process of covering the indebtedness of Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (SDFF).

Then, Congress, knowing that a “race neutral” approach must be used, developed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2023 and with it were two significant areas for farmers, regardless of color or gender or any number of other areas where discrimination can occur. Section 22006 offered $3.1B for “distressed borrowers” and wiped out the debts of Black farmers back to owing $0 plus one extra check to give them a heads up. We know of several who were recipients of these funds.

Section 22007 provided $2.2B for those who could prove that they had been discriminated against. Some thought of this as a great deal, but others of us knew better.

This is where it gets interesting for those of us in the Black Farmer Movement.

The USDA, first of all, issued an announcement about it. It even had a catchy acronym, the DFAP program, the “Discrimination Financial Assistance Program.”  For those who like a lot of details, here is the website.  

The DFAP evaluation guide is a 201-page document. Those wish to do deep dives into processes for receiving application forms, how they were adjudicated, and all, this source is invaluable.

Second, there were a number of flaws in the process and we protested about it. For instance, no immediate ag economist was involved, no fees for lawyers, no appeals process, and Black farmers had to submit a 40-page document while white farmers completed a three-page process. We understand that white farmers had their checks almost immediately, as within a few days, while Black farmers had to wait and wait and wait.

Third, the USDA appointed two “hubs” with a rather limited range of experiences with farmers in general and aggrieved farmers specifically. USDA paid these entities millions of dollars. Those hubs were Analytic Acquisitions and Windsor Group. The national administrator group was The Midtown Group. See this page for details.

Fourth, a number of “cooperators” were brought on board, most if not all without any application process, but instead were those identified by Secretary Vilsack as “friendly” to the USDA. I wrote about them in another location, about how this process was flawed from the get go. On the other hand, it is true that these “cooperators” were able to surface, meet, and inform Black farmers as to processes. I listened to one early on as the speaker informed listeners as to broad generalizations of the program. Then, later I listened to a person with more details about the process. Here is the announcement by USDA as the process came to a close.

Fifth, the process dragged on for months, deadlines were changed, and eventually an announcement was released with a number of curious details. While Secretary Vilsack has maintained that releasing data by race is illegal despite the fact that it is mandated in the 2008 Farm Bill and again in the 2018 Farm Bill.

According to the USDA,

 

“The recipients include over 23,000 individuals who have or had a farming or ranching operation, who are receiving between $10,000 and $500,000 of assistance, with an average of nearly $82,000. Recipients also include over 20,000 individuals who planned to have a farming or ranching operation, but reported they were unable to do so because they couldn’t get a USDA loan. These individuals are receiving between $3,500 and $6,000 of assistance, with an average of $5000.”

Other sources released information as to numbers and dollars. These details add to the information we need but that the USDA is concealing from us, because “it would make us look bad,” so an insider told us. We are informed that 58,000 applied for the funds for discrimination, 48,000 “prevailed,” and received some sum of money from the $2.2B pot. A majority of the 48,000 were Black farmers and ranchers and they received $1.76B of the total pot of $2.2B. Over 80% were Black farmers who received these funds. Over 70% of the Black farmers are from the southeastern region of the US. Those who attempted to farm but were kept from it received anywhere from $3,500 to $6,000. The average payout was $82,000.

At the end of the day, it is a mixed bag. Some farmers are very pleased with their check. Some are extremely disappointed. At face value, probably there is not a Black farmer in the country who received a check in the total amount of damages incurred. Some readers may remember that scholars estimated that between 1920 and 1997 Black farmers lost approximately $326B in generational wealth that their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will never see.

In addition to those disappointed with the numbers on their checks, there is a sizeable group of Black farmers who did not trust the process that USDA utilized, so they did not apply for the DFAP funds. There is another group of farmers who were told by at least one person who had at one point held a high position with USDA that applying for these funds would disallow applying for other funds via individual lawsuits or class action suits. That is not the case, but some of our people trusted misinformation.

Ultimately, “the last plantation” lives on and as it does Black farmers and family members continue to suffer under the boot to the neck of injustices. Until USDA wipes out racism from its halls and offices and personnel, discrimination will continue.

 

 

Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Dear President Biden and Vice President Harris: We Need to Talk

August 16, 2024
 
President Joe Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20050
 
Vice President Kamala Harris
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington. DC 20050
 
By way of introduction, we are representatives of the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees and the Justice for Black Farmers Group. The Coalition began as an employee organization at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1994. It has now evolved beyond just employees to include focusing on major issues with Black farmers. The Justice for Black Farmers group is an extension of this important work.
 
We are aware of the sacrifices and services you have made to our country. Perhaps the most courageous act is your stepping back and allowing your Vice President, Kamala Harris, to move into the spotlight she rightfully deserves under the circumstances. We respectfully ask that you use that same courage to address our pressing issues. Now is the time to do good for our Black farmers and others suffering at USDA, especially when there is lingering skepticism about USDA and your support of Secretary Vilsack.
 
While many in the United States are actually confused and/or completely unaware of the background to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) and how the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) was originally intended to level the playing field for Black farmers who have experienced racism since the very founding days of our country. Those of us who know live out of a different narrative.
 
We are asking for justice for a group of your supporters, Black farmers and their families. Their commitment to the Democratic party is waning, and that makes this request very important.
 
Some matters that we care about deeply lie in the darkness of Capitol Hill, the White House, and the offices of USDA. You undoubtedly know what they are because we have written to you before, and we demonstrated in front of the White House March 1, 2023. See this link as well. Secretary Thomas Vilsack continues to ignore Black farmers’ struggles for justice as well as the systemic racism and sexism that exist within USDA. As our proof, this has been reported widely by newspapers and other investigative reporting.
 
Yes, some Black farmers are not pleased with the checks they got in the mail from the US Department of the Treasury. Some are bitterly disappointed. Frankly, Mr. President, with the race-neutral approach taken within the IRA, funds were disbursed not because of what racism has done to them. The white farmers in the lawsuits which derailed the ARPA demanded their share of benefits because of reverse discrimination. This, despite the fact that white farmers have always had the upper hand in farming, loans, goods, services, and benefits at the county level. Sadly, whiteness matters. For the uninformed public, to give out $2.2B to 43,000 which would include some Black farmers and others, but we know the inside stories, and we want you to hear them as well. We understand that 80% of the total number who prevailed were Black farmers who received $1.76B from the total of $2.2B. It seems to us that embedded within this story is fear on the part of Black farmers to speak out due to retaliation and intimidation by USDA.   We find it interesting that USDA releases this type of data when it is convenient for them.   
 
Our message has been consistent since our inception in 1994 as the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees. From our communication of October 25, 2011 to Vilsack through seven letters to congressionals, seven to you in the White House, eight to your staffers, and twelve to Vilsack, we have articulated a consistent message: 1) remove the indebtedness from Black farmers; 2) cover their taxes; 3) root out racism, sexism, and violence from USDA, especially the Forest Service, Western Division; 4) treat all farmers equitably and institute policies that do so; 5) eliminate the County Committee system where much of the racism occurs; 6) put the Office of Civil Rights (OASCR) in receivership and hold the guilty accountable; 7) put a firewall between the Office of General Counsel (OGC)  and OASCR; 8) institute an environment and policies that insure accountability and transparency; 9) settle the many unresolved cases that lie languishing in the bowels of the Office of Civil Rights;  and 10) endorse a program that puts land back into the hands of Black farmers who have had their land stolen from them because of a failed civil rights process. There are others, Mr. President, and this list is only a partial list.  In fact, a lengthier list is found in correspondence with you in 2022 in which we advocated for systemic change.
 
While there are some who would insist that the economic efforts amount to reparations, we call it justice. By comparison to our issues with USDA and the demand for funding to level the playing field, the State of California is undergoing an intense process toward providing reparations for citizens whose ancestry goes back to days of enslavement. We participated in that effort by a discussion of the Black farmer issue. The entire report is available.
 
In short, Mr. President, we, Black farmers and advocates, are seeking accountability, transparency, and justice. USDA, until these factors are included, will continue to be labeled “the last plantation,” because, indeed, Secretary Vilsack runs the agency like a plantation, and it has been that way for decade after decade. Yes, we do want a better accounting for actual damages, and we want a process that is much clearer and transparent, one that is legal according to the law. Vilsack allowed his Equity Commission to leave in place the racist county committee system that for decades has destroyed lives of our Black farmers and others. We believe that his Equity Commission was tarnished from the beginning with many having received funds from the check-book of USDA and several of his former colleagues from the dairy industry and the Office of General Counsel.
 
We are also shining light on the issue of racism and discrimination within the USDA by presenting these and other materials at the Whistleblower Conference and Film Festival held in Washington, DC from July 26 through August 4 on the topic “Seeking Truth and Justice.”
 
To expand on these requests and opportunities, we offer the following by way of background.
 
On March 1, 2023, as noted earlier, Black farmers, advocates, and their supporters from across the country assembled in front of the White House to remember the Fairness Hearings before Judge Friedman and to demonstrate USDA’s failures and our concerns on behalf of Black farmers and the injustices we have received from your administration and USDA. Two of our members wore a provocative sign which read, “We Gave You the White House. You Gave Us Tom Vilsack.”
 
As inflammatory as that reads, we believe it to be the truth.
 
In 2019, we offered Senator Warren a different view on Black land loss. While she had believed and had said so publicly that it was due to heirs’ property issues, we showed her otherwise, that the majority of Black land loss since 1910 has come as a result of racism within USDA, especially at the County Committee level where matters and personnel are unsupervised and personnel are not held accountable. We believe that Senator Warren’s plan is the standard bearer in this significant area.
 
Our many communications have gone unanswered with the exception of one meeting on May 28, 2021 in which Secretary Vilsack pontificated about his programs and failed to allow us time to ask questions. Even in that meeting, we were provided with false information from OASCR. It is no wonder that Black farmers do not trust USDA. We communicated our disenchantment with Secretary Vilsack. Secretary Vilsack runs a closed system. He refuses to listen to those who complain about his policies and procedures. It looks good and smells good, but to those of us who look inside know that it is anything but a healthy organization. On the other hand, we had a series of very productive conversations and follow-ups with two White House staffers, Cedric Richmond and William T. McIntee, in the Office of Public Engagement. The heart of the matter was the large number of letters written by us to Secretary Vilsack without any response from him. This was the most productive conversation that we have had with your staff in many years.  
 
We participated with your agriculture transition team in the policy development phase of racial justice for Black farmers. We eventually realized that Tom Vilsack was pulling the strings and that the appointees with whom we were dealing had no authority. The ultimate insult was when one of Vilsack’s attorneys said that what we wanted was unconstitutional. We came to believe the bitter truth of that because when you signed the ARPA , the banks complained to Vilsack, and Vilsack slow-walked the process of paying the 120% to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers for debt write-off and taxes, giving white farmers across the country enough time to file twelve (12) frivolous and racist lawsuits complaining about reverse discrimination.
 
From there, Congress got busy, passed, and you signed the race neutral Inflation Reduction Act, which allocated $3.1B for “distressed borrowers” in order to bring their debts in line, and $2.2B for farmers who could prove that they had been discriminated against. Since farmers of any color could apply for either or both of these provisions, the pool was watered down. Those who deserved to be compensated for their actual losses received little to nothing. On top of that, Mr. President, those few Black farmers who have had their debts full or partially forgiven will now face the onerous task of dealing with the 1099 form and hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes. Due to having to pay taxes, we think, many will be at risk to lose their land, houses, and property. Additionally, we are of the opinion that the “process” for addressing discrimination by farmers is flawed and inadequate. One administrator, two hubs for the entire country, numerous “cooperators” that facilitate information, a minimal process for white farmers and 40 pages for Black farmers, was all flawed. Our understanding is that this system was actually illegal. There are several flaws in this legislation and its procedures: no attorney’s fees were covered, a lawyer and ag economist were glaringly absent for Black farmers, there were no appeals rights, it is said that white farmers only completed three pages and were paid quickly, and Black farmers were required to complete an onerous amount of 40 plus pages and had to wait. USDA refused, in addition to all of the above, to provide the guidelines for their decision-making.  
 
As alluded to earlier, we observe clear connections between Vilsack’s attorney on the transition team declaring that our efforts to secure justice for Black farmers was unconstitutional. From there, just weeks after the ARPA was signed into law, numerous white farmer lawsuits derailed the process along with the banking industry while Secretary Vilsack purposefully delayed the payment to Black farmers. We chronicled those matters for the public’s consideration. Then, Congress passed the race neutral IRA of 2022 in which any race of “distressed borrower” and any race of a farmer experiencing discrimination are eligible for funds that were originally calculated to level the playing field somewhat for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (the 2501 designation) were now falling into the hands of persons for whom the county committee, FSA, and USDA have always turned out well. So, it is not a stretch to see “unconstitutional” as undergirding all that happened between your agriculture transition team’s work through the ARPA and on to the IRA and out into the bank accounts of all farmers including white farmers.
 
We believe the Justice for Black Farmers Act would provide measurable improvements in the lives and livelihood of Black farmers as it includes debt relief and land at decent process for those who want to farm. We note that no one is offering land to Black farmers from the USDA Land Bank and its holdings. This is all about the taking of the land.
 
Now we know what we did not know before. With the disappointments of aggrieved Black farmers for whom the pay-outs from the IRA pools of funds did not do justice, there will come, we predict, a plethora of class action suits. An inadequate reconciliation of past injustices with present-day funds via the USDA, the hubs’ poor handling of the processes, and the loop holes for some, but not for the benefit of Black farmers are all obvious to us. Such actions for the USDA continue to leave angst in their souls and a bitter taste in their mouths.
 
We now understand that $500M to $700M from the $3.1B pool have been purposely held back by Secretary Vilsack. Our network is nation-wide, and we know of only a handful of Black farmers who have had their debts full or partially removed and there seems to be no rhyme or reason for these farmers other than they were “cherry-picked” by USDA. These numbers do not line up and Secretary Vilsack and his team are not forthcoming about racial categories and debt relief. Money blinds us to the reality existing within USDA the system problem of its structure and behaviors. Money is not the issue.
 
We read the news reports as do you and your advisors. And in this time of transition, we see the young voters moving toward Vice President Harris. Black cousins from the south talk to cousins from the north, and her favorability rating is climbing. We believe that if you and she do the right thing by Black farmers, that the favorability rating among others will rise. You did the courageous thing, several weeks ago, and now, we ask you to do one more courageous thing.  
 
We are aware that you have held various meetings in the White House, the latest of which was February 1, 2024 in which you discussed matters related to Black America. We are aware that one person affiliated with Black farmers was in attendance. We are convinced, Mr. President, that you do not see the severity of the plight of Black farmers and others because your appointee at USDA of Secretary Tom Vilsack, is concealing them from the public and you. What is concealed is the pain and suffering of Black farmers as well as their loss of land and productivity from the land. Estimates suggest that the losses are at least $326B from 1910 to 1997.
 
The November, 2023 General Accounting Office (GAO) report provides a scathing evaluation of the inadequacies of the internal system that tracks complaints of both those who utilize services of USDA as well as employees within USDA. These inadequacies have been known for years, perhaps even decades as the complaints have fallen on deaf ears. Also, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Report of September, 2021 pointed out numerous inadequacies within OASCR including failure to process complaints in a timely manner, inadequacy of support and processes, failure to track and measure progress, failure to follow its own strategic plan, and even potential circumvention of the law. A recent doctoral dissertation uncovered truths about the county committee that we have known for years and yet, Secretary Vilsack’s Equity Commission opted to do nothing to this unfair and racist process. Bottom line is that white farmers are more likely to benefit from programs and services. When the primary source of discrimination against minority farmers originates from within the county committee, it is reasonable that this specific area receive attention.
 
Secretary Vilsack himself declared on one occasion that to reveal information about debt forgiveness and other factors by race was illegal despite the fact that this requirement was written into the 2008 Farm Bill and the 2018 Farm Bill. Now we are awaiting information from the IRA of 2022 in both categories for “distressed borrowers” and those who experienced discrimination although recently a USDA employee provided global numbers for us. Naturally, we are given state-wide data, but that is insufficient and an insult to the American population that wants these numbers while he is required by law to release them.
 
Various investigative reports by Joyce, Rosenberg, and Stucki; Holloway; and Rosenberg and Stucki; and numerous internal and external reports, tell the tragedies of white farmers receiving the overwhelming majority of funds for farming, fewer white farmers having their loans rejected than Black farmers, covid era relief funds going to white and not Black farmers, and other inadequacies. These matters of racism and injustice have been occurring under your watch as well as that of Obama, Bush, Clinton, and previous administrations for decades. The USDA acts as if it is a law to themselves and fails at too many levels to display transparency, accountability, and a commitment to removing racism from its halls and offices.
 
In addition to the above complaints, we are dismayed at the processes and outcomes related to the Equity Commission. While this would perhaps take a more lengthy conversation, in short, we believe it is redundant when surveying the large number of reports, both internal and external, related to the USDA and Black farmers in particular. The composition of the commission and the subcommittee on agriculture was problematic as a number of the members were, in our opinion, compromised by having received funding as a “cooperator” or other means. It has the very appearance of conflicts of interest for a number of the group.
 
Recently, Secretary Vilsack announced that he wanted his Equity Commission to evaluate his civil rights office and programs. This is nothing more than “the fox watching the hen house,” a stacking of the deck to hide and to protect him from his abysmal civil rights record and failures. We want a level playing field at USDA.
 
Given the severity of these complaints and concerns, we ask you to act in an expeditious manner to address our concerns listed in paragraph seven above and the communication of September 28, 2022 in which we listed our concerns and demand systemic change. Black farmers are a part of America’s middle class working families that Vice President Harris aspires to enhance through economic policies.
 
Many farmers have talked directly with us and shared their concerns about Vilsack returning in a Harris administration. That should not happen. The decades of discrimination are acknowledged by Tom Vilsack, but he has done nothing to fix it. It would be devastating for the Black farmers and others of our country if he were to return. We hope that Kamala Harris will address these issues if she is elected president.
 
We respectfully request an in-person meeting with a host of farmers and their advocates with you and Vice President Kamala Harris. We eagerly await your response.
 
Respectfully,
 
 ---S---
 
Lawrence Lucas
President Emeritus, USDA Coalition for Minority Employees
Representative, Justice for Black Farmers Group
Www.BlackmeninAmerica.com
LawrLCL@aol.com
856-910-2399 
 
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Waymon R. Hinson, Ph.D.
Representative, USDA Coalition of Minority Employees
Representative, Justice for Black Farmers Group
www.letjusticering.blogspot.com
Psychologist
Waymon.hinson@gmail.com
903-271-4654