Source:  PRESS RELEASE, 6/28/11


Several discrimination lawsuits have been filed against the USDA. The USDA has made it a priority to provide relief to African American, Native American, Hispanic, and women farmers who have made recent claims of discrimination or feel they have been discriminated against. To help solve these lawsuits, the Obama Administration has worked with the USDA to resolve claims of discrimination. In 2010, the USDA entered into a settlement to help resolve claims from black and Native American farmers. More recently, the USDA announced similar efforts to help resolve claims from Hispanic and female farmers who can prove they were improperly denied farm loan benefits between 1981 and 2000.

The USDA has made progress to provide relief and compensation to those who were discriminated against. Tom Vilsack stated, “We’ve made an effort to turn the page on what has been a tough chapter for us in civil rights. This is an effort to give folks a closure or an option for closure.”

The USDA strongly believes every farmer and rancher should be treated equally regardless of their race, ethnicity, or gender. Therefore, they have made it a main concern that they resolve the lawsuits and provide relief to those discriminated against. Hispanic and women farmers and ranchers are eligible through a streamline process of compensation for being faced with discrimination. Overall, the USDA will proceed to work so that each employee is treated with fairness, equitably, dignity, and respect. They will also work so that all farmers will not be forced off of their farms because they cannot get the help they need to make it through a bad harvest or because they are denied a loan.

Vilsack also wrote in an USDA blog, “We are continuing work to build a new era for civil rights at the USDA: correcting our past errors, learning from our mistakes, and outlining definitive action to ensure there will be no missteps in the future. The process has been long and often difficult, but my staff and I have been working hard every day to make USDA a model employer and premier service provider that treats every customer and employee fairly, with dignity and respect.”

If you feel you have been not treated fairly or equally by the USDA, please feel free to contact one of the following appropriate organizations via website or telephone:
 
Hispanic and Women Farmer Claims Process
www.farmerclaims.gov
1-888-508-4429
Pigford-The Black Farmers Discrimination Litigation
www.blackfarmercase.com
1-866-950-5547
Keepseagle-The Native American Farmers Class Action Settlement
www.IndianFarmClass.com
1-888-233-5506

It is important to remember, the USDA cannot any provide legal advice. For further guidance, you may contact a lawyer or other legal services to provider in your community. If you are currently represented by counsel regarding allegations of discrimination or in a lawsuit claiming discrimination, contact your counsel regarding this claims process. Thanks for taking part in our continuing efforts to make the USDA a better service provider.


If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Stuart Lee at 919.873.2107

Stuart.Lee@nc.usda.gov