Project
Forgotten Farmers
Role
Video Editor
Description
Although slave labor created the economic basis of U.S. agriculture, the long-term effects of racism and systemic discrimination from U.S. Department of Agriculture programs continue to sideline African American farmers from land ownership.
Between 1910 and 2007, black farmers in the United States lost 80% of their land.
The Pigford v. Glickman case followed after this. The 1997 class-action lawsuit alleged that the USDA discriminated against black farmers in its allocation of farm loans and assistance between 1981 and 1996.
In 2010, the case was settled and allowed black farmers affected (and their descendants) to collect $50,000 each. However, that wasn’t enough to cover what they had lost or even move forward.
A growing movement is calling for reparations.
