USDA Coalition of Minority Employees

Last updated
USDA Coalition of Minority Employees
FormationMay 5, 1994;30 years ago (1994-05-05)
HeadquartersVancouver, Washington, United States
President
Ron Cotton
Founder
Lawrence Lucas [1]
Website www.agcoalition.org

The USDA Coalition of Minority Employees is a civil rights organization formed by employees of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1994 specifically focused on ending discrimination within the Department and more generally on eradicating racism in agriculture in the United States. [2] [3]

Contents

Overview

The organization has met with many senators across the United States to raise awareness of the land theft against African Americans and create new legislation to create racial equity within agriculture. [4] The organization's consistent push towards monumental change led to President Joe Biden creating a fund in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for socially disadvantaged farmers to receive 120% of the outstanding indebtedness incurred against governmental organizations. [5] [ better source needed ] The organization was cited as a main reason the Harvard Food Law & Policy Clinic called for the USDA to reform its Civil Rights division in April of 2021. [6]

On March 22, 2021, the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees moderated a briefing alongside Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, and Raphael Warnock to discuss the aid socially disadvantaged farmers will be eligible for under the American Rescue Plan. [7]

History

In 1996, Lawrence Lucas held a Congressional News Conference to raise awareness on discrimination within the USDA. [8]

In 2016, Vice President Lesa Donnelly testified to a United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform to address sexual assault issues within the United States Forest Service. [9] On December 1, 2020, Donnelly testified at the House Oversight Committee hearing entitled "Examining Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination at the U.S. Department of Agriculture." [10]

In 2018, the organization held Sonny Perdue accountable for sexual misconduct in the United States Forest Service, leading to the resignation of Tony Tooke. [11]

Political positions

The organization is a staunch critic of United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. [12] Lawrence Lucas cites Secretary Vilsack as being a main reason African American farmers have not received their Social Security and disability benefits. [13] Politico highlighted the organization as being on the opposing side of Vilsack's 2020 nomination by President Biden, parting ways from the mainstream opinion of the nomination. [14] The organization has strong ties with Elizabeth Warren, yet criticized the senator for labeling heir property as a main reason African American farmers have lost their land. [15]

The organization endorses the Justice for Black Farmers Act of 2020 crafted by Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Elizabeth Warren, even going so far to label it the Black Farmers Civil Rights Act of 2020. [16] The USDA Coalition of Minority Employees believes the bill is meant to provide justice for over one million African Americans who have had their land stolen in the history of the United States. [17]

Activism

In 2016, Lawrence Lucas protested outside the United States Supreme Court Building to address issues surrounding Pigford v. Glickman and the plight of African American farmers becoming homeless and landless. [18]

In 2020, advisor Kordel Davis led a George Floyd protest in Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina. [19]

Related Research Articles

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The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and production, works to assure food safety, protects natural resources, fosters rural communities and works to end hunger in the United States and internationally. It is headed by the secretary of agriculture, who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the president's Cabinet. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack, who has served since February 24, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Vilsack</span> American politician (born 1950)

Thomas James Vilsack is an American politician serving as the 32nd United States secretary of agriculture in the Biden administration. He previously served in the role from 2009 to 2017 during the Obama administration. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 40th governor of Iowa from 1999 to 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civil Rights Act of 1964</span> Landmark U.S. civil rights and labor law

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The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is a sub-agency of the U.S. Department of Education that is primarily focused on enforcing civil rights laws prohibiting schools from engaging in discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or membership in patriotic youth organizations.

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Shirley Sherrod is the Executive Director for the Southwest Georgia Project and Vice President of Development for New Communities at Cypress pond. Sherrod is a civil rights activist who has devoted most of her life advocating for farmers and rural residents. Sherrod has been the recipient of various praises such as; The Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Sojourner-Douglas College, being inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame, and awarded the James Beard Leadership Award.

On July 19, 2010, Shirley Sherrod was fired from her appointed position as Georgia State Director of Rural Development for the United States Department of Agriculture. Her firing was an administration reaction to media reports on video excerpts from her address to an event of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in March 2010 and commentary posted by conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart on his website. Based on these excerpts, the NAACP condemned Sherrod's remarks as racist and US government officials called on the official to resign. However, review of her full speech showed that the excerpts had been selectively edited, and that her remarks – understood in context – were about the importance of overcoming personal prejudices. The NAACP and White House officials then apologized for their earlier criticisms, and United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack apologized for the firing and offered Sherrod a new position.

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References

  1. ↑ "EXAMINING SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND GENDER DISCRIMINATION AT THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE". www.govinfo.gov. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  2. ↑ USDA, Office of Human Resources Management (May 2019). "Employee Organizations - Contacts" (PDF). USDA. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  3. ↑ "Washingtonpost.com: USDA Facing Flood of Worker Bias Suits". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  4. ↑ "Warren, Booker, Gillibrand Announce Comprehensive Bill to Address the History of Discrimination in Federal Agricultural Policy | U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts". www.warren.senate.gov. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  5. ↑ Yarmuth, John A. (2021-03-11). "Text - H.R.1319 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): American Rescue Plan Act of 2021". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  6. ↑ "Harvard Food Law & Policy Clinic Calls on USDA to Reform Office Focused on Civil Rights". Center For Health Law and Policy Innovation. 2021-04-19. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  7. ↑ Stewart, Cyndy Reed (2021-03-29). "Tracy McCurty Has Worked a Long Time to See Historic Wrongs Righted for Black Farmers". Civil Eats. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  8. ↑ "Department of Agriculture Discrimination | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  9. ↑ Joyce, Kathryn; Rosenberg, Nathan; Stucki, Bryce. "The "machine that eats up Black farmland"". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  10. ↑ "House Committee Examines Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Forest Service". Women's Congressional Policy Institute. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  11. ↑ Boudreau, Catherine. "Whistle-blower alleges ongoing sexual misconduct at U.S. Forest Service". POLITICO. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
  12. ↑ ""This brings tears to my eyes": A civil rights leader reacts to Vilsack nomination with grief and fury". The Counter. 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  13. ↑ "Tom Vilsack's nomination as agriculture secretary reopens old wounds for Black farmers". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  14. ↑ "Black farmers, civil rights advocates seething over Vilsack pick". POLITICO. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
  15. ↑ "Black farmers say Warren's plan wouldn't solve their biggest problem". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  16. ↑ "Advocates Call for Shift in US Agriculture Policy to Benefit Black Farmers". Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly. 2021-02-01. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  17. ↑ "Nearly 1M Black Families Had Their Farms Stolen. This Bill Could Help African Americans Claim Up To 160 Acres Each". Moguldom. 2020-12-01. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  18. ↑ Brown, Carolyn M. (2016-07-19). "Black Farmers Take Discrimination Protest To US Supreme Court". Black Enterprise. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  19. ↑ "Raleigh curfew sparks outrage after no charges filed in police-involved shooting". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
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