The more things change, the more they stay the same. Former USDA Secretary Dan Glickman tried to settle the many injustices USDA has inflicted on Black Farmers. The Glickman agreement was fair, and “inked” into law while Congress authorized settlement. But then came the Administrations of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. None of them cared much about settling with Black Farmers, so no appropriation was made. Now, Joe Biden is President and is committed to settling; Secretary Tom Vilsack did make an early attempt to settle. Unfortunately, in the Vilsack agreement, no one bothered to write the requirements in a way that matched the original agreement. Instead, the new so-called settlement would have paid reparations to almost anyone other than Black Farmers. It is our understanding that only 10% of the funds would have been paid out to Black Farmers. The Courts stopped this agreement, but surely more than 22 years later, it is time to get it right.
First, there were good intentions and commitment, followed by justice being ignored, and then there was Donald Trump’s malfeasance. Now Black Farmers agree, “They just basically came up with new programs that benefit white people, but they used Black farmers basically to get the white farmers assistance as well, and we help them get it,” Lewis said. “And we are still stuck without the help.”