The National Black Farmers Association [NBFA] was founded in 1995 and has spent decades suing the federal government for alleged discrimination.
In 1999, the Clinton administration agreed to distribute approximately $2 Billion to over 22,000 Black farmers. This was to settle a federal lawsuit filed by the NBFA called Pigford v. Glickman. Each claimant received $50k plus $12.5k for taxes. The media praised it as the largest class-action racial discrimination settlement in history.
Naturally, the NBFA continued to find more Black farmers who had allegedly been discriminated against. Hispanic politicians also got involved and demanded that Hispanic farmers get money. Others called for women to be prioritized.
In 2008, the Obama White House set aside another $1.33 Billion and expanded the time limit to file claims under Pigford v Glickman. However, now Latino, American Indian, and female farmers could file claims as well as Blacks.
By 2013, over 90k claims had been filed by farmers alleging racial or gender discrimination. Even the New York Times questioned the validity of the discrimination claims and reported widespread fraud.
The deal, several current and former government officials said, was fashioned in White House meetings despite the vehement objections — until now undisclosed — of career lawyers and agency officials who had argued that there was no credible evidence of widespread discrimination. What is more, some protested, the template for the deal — the $50,000 payouts to black farmers — had proved a magnet for fraud. – New York Times
As part of Joe Biden’s 2021 Covid-19 Stimulus package, a staggering $5 Billion was set aside for “debt relief” for non-White farmers. This debt relief could include up to 120% of debts held.
The plan violated federal laws against earmarking funds to a specific race. White farmers sued for discrimination, and the courts ruled that the program had to be changed.
Instead, $3.1 Billion went to farmer debt relief. However, farmers of any race could apply for this aid. Another $2.2 billion was set aside to cover new discrimination claims by farmers.
So now the NBFA has filed another lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. NBFA boss John Boyd Jr. claims that Congress betrayed black farmers. Congress sent applications for the original debt relief program to Black farmers before the program was changed. The original program offered to cover debts up to 120%, but the revised program did not. NBFA calls this a violation of a contract.
Ben Crump filed the lawsuit. This is one of the same lawyers suing Kanye West on behalf of George Floyd’s relatives. They lawsuit demand that the federal government cover up to 120% of the debts held by “socially disadvantaged Black farmers.”
