Q: How have you honored Black History Month?
A: On February 1, I traveled to Atlanta to speak at the New Baptist Covenant. I was humbled to be in Martin Luther King Jr.’s hometown as Black History Month was just beginning. Dr. King was a symbol of hope during the civil rights movement of the 1960s and his peaceful message of tolerance and equality helped to change the nation. He laid a strong foundation for the advancement of civil rights and his legacy reminds us all that we must continue to push to rid America of hate and discrimination. I’ve been trying to do my small part in an area where there was plenty of room for headway, and that’s the federal agriculture bureaucracy. My years as a family farmer have taught me that the land does not react to the color of the farmer’s skin but instead to the hard work and sweat required to succeed in this industry. It’s important that the federal government agency charged with implementing the farm program respect civil rights and honor the long history shared between American agriculture and African Americans.
Q: What are you doing to assist Black Farmers?
A: In 1997, a group of black farmers came together to address the decades of discriminatory treatment they received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The aggrieved farmers filed a case named Pigford v. Glickman, which resulted in the largest racial discrimination settlement in our nation’s history. The settlement was intended to bring a swift resolution to the thousands of discrimination claims that had gone unaddressed for so long. Unfortunately, a swift resolution of thousands of claims has not occurred. More than 75,000 farmers have been shut out of the process because they did not receive notice of the settlement and, therefore, they did not file their claims in time to meet the court-ordered deadline. These farmers deserve to have determinations made on the merits of their individual cases. I tried to bring justice to these shut out black farmers by introducing the Pigford Claims Remedy Act last year. This legislation would provide tens of thousands of African American farmers with the opportunity to have their cases heard. It would give them a fair shot at retribution. The farm bill we're working on right now provides some money to help get this process started.
I’ve also worked to make sure the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Agriculture maintains its mission to adequately help underserved farmers and disadvantaged employees. Much to my disappointment, I recently heard allegations of discrimination and problems with how the Office handles claims. Congress has a responsibility to make sure this Office encourages equitable treatment, so I requested and the Senate Agriculture Committee chairman agreed to hold an oversight hearing about the Office of Civil Rights. I look forward to hearing testimony from the witnesses and I’m hopeful the scrutiny from Congress will help to focus the Office on its mission.