Washington– Rep. Steve King, a Republican from Iowa, referred to President Obama as “very, very urban,” while charging that as a senator he gave special favor to African American farmers who were victims of government discrimination. In case anybody missed his meaning in a speech on the House floor Monday evening, King emphasized the word […]
Labyrinthian is a good word to describe the tangle of explanations given by Senate members for failing again on Sept. 29 to fund the settlements of Pigford II and Cobell, the class action discrimination lawsuits filed by black and Indian farmers.
Wayne Alexander, 61, of Houston, says unfair treatment by the U.S. Department of Agriculture led to the loss of his farm in Needville. He and his wife now live in a Midtown apartment.
Beginning Thursday, the head of the National Black Farmers Association will ride a tractor to Capitol Hill to press Congress to fund a historic discrimination case settlement involving minority farmers.
The head of the National Black Farmers Association blasted plans to award $1.5 billion in federal subsidies to farmers affected by last fall’s heavy rains — while African-American farmers have yet to receive the $1.25 billion the federal government owes them from the settlement of a class action discrimination lawsuit.
The U.S. Senate failed Thursday to approve nearly $5 billion for a settlement between the Agriculture Department and minority farmers reached more than a decade ago, prompting finger pointing by members of both parties and outrage among many black farmers.
