Summer Sewell from The Guardian writes about the recent meeting between Black farmers and the U.S. House of Representatives agriculture committee to discuss long-standing racism and discrimination by the United States Department of Agriculture and the industry at large.
Black farmers report experiencing discrimination in lending practices by the federal agency resulting in significant land and income loss. The hearing comes after the March 2021 COVID-19 stimulus package that allocates 5 billion dollars of debt relief and other support for farmers of color. However, the rollout timeline and process are still unclear.
Read the whole story here: Black farmers speak out against the ‘festering wound’ of racism in agriculture (The Guardian)