All information linked to the topics listed below, unless otherwise noted, was submitted by Mr. Gary R. Grant, President of the Black Farmers & Agriculturalists Association. Compiled and posted by Bennie J. McRae, Jr.

SPECIAL REPORT

PRESIDENT GARY GRANT'S STATEMENT TO Chairman Steve Chabot, Committee on the Judiciary, The Subcommittee on the Constitution, U.S. House of Representatives

• http://www.bjmjr.com/bfaa/grant_statement.htm

STATEMENT FROM BFAA ON THE RESEARCH OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP

July 21, 2004

Tillery, NC - USA -- We applaud the Environmental Working Group for its fine work in documenting the disastrous impacts of the Pigford Class and shameful way in which the USDA and DOJ have gone about, once again, denying African Americans their due. While the figures are staggering to so many Americans, BFAA president, Gary R. Grant, says, "We did not have the figures on March 4, 1999 as we and other farmers and advocacy groups from across the country stood before Judge Paul Friedman declaring that the Consent Decree would certainly be the final nail in the coffin of the Black farmer in America, but we had the documentation from many years of experience of how this renegade government agency operates. The USDA being called the "last plantation" is not accident."

BFAA has worked diligently and will continue to work to support Black farmers in a fair and equitable way. We will continue to hold the USDA accountable to this segment of its constituency that it continues to deny the same services that brought about the Pigford Class (Black Farmers Class Action) in the first place.

It is not strange that Black farmers are supposed to have settled with the USDA for $2.4 billion and yet can't collect it. It is interesting that, even though approximately $800 million has been paid out, the same culprits who committed these grievous acts of racism and discrimination are still employed at the USDA. The few who are not, were allowed to retire with full benefits, while they had destroyed livelihoods of Black farmers, families, and in reality destroyed Black communities and strong bases of political power across the south.

Until America has a real discussion on racism, until the "city cousins" of the Black farmers, until those who truly believe in justice and seek equality step forward and unite to demand that this country live up to it agreement with the Black farmers, then the USDA and DOJ will continue to ramrod the Black farmer and the "canary in the mineshaft" will die for lack of oxygen."

The national office of the Black Farmers & Agriculturalists Association in Tillery, North Carolina continues to get approximately ten to thirty calls a day regarding the misinformation being distributed by the Tennessee BFAA, Inc. People are calling because they hope that they can still receive financial compensation through the Pigford Class Action lawsuit settlement for discrimination on the part of the USDA. Unfortunately that is not possible unless the matter is opened up for judicial review. The tremendous number of calls we receive indicates that there still is an incredible need for further restitution. However, before you send money anywhere or call for more information please note the following point:

The only individuals who have received any settlement money from the USDA regarding the Pigford Class lawsuit are those who were part of the Pigford vs. USDA Class Action Law Suit prior to September 14, 2001. You can only become a part of the Pigford Class Law Suit if it is reopened.

Yours for the Survival of the Black farmer,

Gary

Gary R. Grant, President
BFAA
PO Box 61
Tillery, NC 27887

Ph: (252) 826-2800
Fax: (252) 826-3244

E-mail: tillery@aol.com

IMPORTANT - In case you have received a Questionaire/Petition regarding the Pigford lawsuit, please read the following:

THE QUESTIONAIRE

We would suggest that you do not sign such a questionnaire or petition. This has not been authorized by the original and legitimate Black Farmers & Agriculturalist Association (BFAA). The fact that no signature is attached to such a document should give cause for questions and be evidence that it was not produced in good faith.

Unfortunately, both white and black snakes have popped up in the "Reparations Grass". We do not want to throw dispersions on black people who are truly attempting to seek justice for our people, even though we may not agree with their tactics. However, whoever is putting out this scam in the name of BFAA should be ashamed of themselves and we hope that these people would stop hurting our people in our name.

The Pigford v. Glickman (now Veneman) lawsuit was closed in September of 2001. A quick glance at the USDA website (www.usda.gov/da/status.htm) concerning the lawsuit will show that almost 40% of the original 21,982 claimants have been denied. Everyone who was accepted into the Class Action law suit was to have been either paid or denied by April of 2004. However, we understand that the monitor's office has extended by one year, the "Review of Injunctive Relief." To our understanding, this extension of time applies only to those who have already been successful in proving their case. We must emphasize that the monitor's office will be monitoring those farmers who "won" the $50,000 and are now trying to get injunctive relief by going back to the USDA to borrow money. According to our understanding, this extension of time is NOT for accepting or reviewing any new applications to this lawsuit.

We definitely need to fight the USDA and also produce new sources of capital and markets for Black farmers. However, the Pigford v. Glickman class action lawsuit is OVER, and it did neither.

For Black Farmers and in Peace,
Gary R. Grant, - BFAA President
Doc (Dr. Ridgely A. Mu'min, V.P. of BFAA)

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FOOD FIRST

MUHAMMAD FARMS

LAND LOSS PREVENTION PROJECT

LAND LOSS FUND

FEDERATION OF SOUTHERN COOPERATIVES/LAND ASSISTANCE FUND

7TH NATIONAL BLACK LAND LOSS SUMMIT 3rd WEEKEND – February 18-20, 2005 BEGINNING ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON Tillery & Historic Franklinton Center at Bricks, North Carolina www.bjmjr.com/bfaa/save_date.htm

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*** BLACK FARMERS NEED YOUR HELP ***

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BFAA OFFICERS

CLICK HERE FOR BFAA OFFICERS

Please contact any BFAA officer with questions or comments that you may have!

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BFAA STATE CHAPTERS

Alabama	Iowa	Ohio
Arizona	Louisiana	Oklahoma
Arkansas	Maryland	South Carolina
California	Mississippi	Tennessee
Delaware	New Jersey	Texas
Florida	New York	Virginia
Georgia	North Carolina	West Virginia

The BFAA Newsletter is available by mail only. Call 252-826-2800 to get on the list.

SPECIAL Letter to BET-TV You may have seen the "BET Tonight" program concerning Black land loss and heir property. All T.V. show producers react according to ratings and feedback. We need for you to send a letter to BET TV expressing how you enjoyed the program and want more such programs. We have placed two sample letters on www.MuhammadFarms.com depending on whether you are a "farmer" or "non-farmer". You can simply click on the urls below and go to the appropriate page. Please download and print out the letter that fits your situation or use them as samples to draft your own. Be sure to put the date at the top, sign it at the bottom with your name, address and city/state. Send it to: “BET Tonight” BET TV 1900 W. Place, NE Washington, DC 20018 Click below for sample letters FARMER NON-FARMER

LETTER

• Letter to Chairman Steve Chabot, Committee on the Judiciary

• "Grassley Concerned About Office of Civil Rights at Department of Agriculture

• BRIEFING STATEMENT TO THE CONGRESSIONAL PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS - By Gary Grant

• "WHO OWNS THE LAND?: AGRICULTURAL LAND OWNERSHIP BY RACE/ETHNICITY" - by Jess Gilbert, Spencer D. Wood, and Gwen Sharp

• "RETURING AFRICAN AMERICAN FARMERS TO THE LAND: RECENT TRENDS AND A POLICY RATIONALE" - by Spencer D. Wood and Jess Gilbert

• "FREE THE LAND" - OPENING STATEMENT BY GARY GRANT

• "GOOD NEWS" FROM THE BLACK LAND LOSS SUMMIT

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

• HAS USDA SETTLEMENT CHANGED ANYTHING?

• TESTIMONY OF GARY R. GRANT - President, Black Farmers & Agriculturalists Association BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS, OVERSIGHT, NUTRITION AND FORESTRY

• Professional Black Farm Groups Set the Record Straight

• "WHAT HAS CHANGED FOR BLACK FARMERS?"

• MINORITY FARMERS TO GET HELP

• BLACK FARMER'S PRAYER VIGIL AND SIT-IN

PRESS RELEASES

• McKINNEY CALLS ON THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION TO END DISCRIMINATORY CONDUCT TOWARD OUR NATION'S BLACK FARMERS - June 26,2002

• BLACK FARMERS MAKE THE FOLLOWING DEMANDS - July 1, 2002

• BLACK FARMER'S PRAYER VIGIL AND SIT-IN - July 1, 2002

• “ONE NATION UNDER GOD” - July 4, 2002

• FEDERATION/LAF SUPPORTS BLACK FARMERS PROTEST AGAINST USDA IN TENNESSEE - July 4, 2002

• *** BLACK FARMERS NEED YOUR HELP *** - July 5, 2002

• BLACK FARMERS SAY DEMANDS MET AT BROWNSVILLE, TENNESSEE - July 6, 2002

• KEY POINTS FOR BLACK FARMERS ASSOCIATION LETTER TO LEGISLATORS

• BFAA FILED TWO PRO SE* MOTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

• BFAA DOES NOT SUPPORT REOPENING PIGFORD VS GLICKMAN

UPDATE

• PIGFORD V GLICKMAN

SPECIAL REPORTS

NEWSLETTER

• THE FARMER

LETTER

• TO: All African Americans Whose EEO Complaints Were Held In Abeyance By USDA

SUPPORT

• MUHAMMAD FARMS

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

• BLACK FARMERS: CAUGHT IN THE CROSSHAIRS OF JUSTICE

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE - THE JACKSON ADVOCATE

• BLACK FARMERS GET SCREWED

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

PRESS RELEASES

• BLACK FARMERS RETURNING TO USDA STILL REQUESTING JUSTICE

• BLACK FARMERS TO CALL ON WHITE HOUSE

  GORE SHOULD RAISE HORSES - by Dr. Ridgely A. Mu'min Muhammad

  BLACK FARMERS APPLAUD REPRESENTATIVES WATTS AND DICKEY

INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

• BFAA - INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

USDA HISTORY

• UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE HISTORY

SPECIAL NOTICES AND POSITION PAPER

• ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT

• POSITION PAPER - THE SURVIVAL OF BLACK FARMERS

• OTHER IMPORTANT DATES

JOIN AND SUPPORT....

• THE BLACK FARMERS AND AGRICULTURALISTS ASSOCIATION

• BFAA MEMBERSHIP FORM

• CONTRIBUTIONS TO BLACK FARMERS

• CONSENT DECREE

• THE POSITION OF BFAA

• OPINION OF BFAA NATIONAL PRESIDENT GARY R. GRANT

• THE ROLE OF YOUTH IN THE SURVIVAL OF BLACK FARMERS

• IMPORTANT DATES

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Support the Black Farmers by purchasing BFAA and LLF T-shirts and Caps

• VIDEOTAPES AVAILABLE

• VIDEOTAPE ORDER FORM

• T-SHIRT AND CAP ORDER FORM

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SPECIAL LINKS

• FOOD FIRST - Institute for Food and Development Policy

• LAND LOSS PREVENTION PROJECT

• THE LAND LOSS FUND - Working Together to Preserve African-American Land Ownership

• CONCERNED CITIZENS OF TILLERY - Tillery, North Carolina

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FRANKLINTON CENTER AT BRICKS

• HISTORY OF FRANKLINTON CENTER

• DIRECTION TO FRANKLINTON CENTER

RELATED EXTERNAL LINKS

• Congresswoman Eva M. Clayton Speaks at Black Farmers Rally at Federal Courthouse - Congresswoman Eva M. Clayton (D-NC)

• Congresswoman Eva M. Clayton Applauds Passage of FY 1999 Agriculture Appropriations Sites Lifting of Statute of Limitations As Major Progress for Black Farmers Complaining of Discrimination - Congresswoman Eva M. Clayton (D-NC)

• FARMERS AND DISCRIMINATION - ABC News

• "Clinton Administration Sics IRS on Black Farmer who sued USDA over Discrimination" - Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS)

• Rep. Thompson Comments on Recent Developments in Black Farmer Issue - Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS)

• African American farmers organize against Republican "Freedom to Farm" bill - In Motion Magazine

• CONGRESSMAN THOMPSON AND MISSISSISSIPPI FARMERS MEET WITH PRESIDENT CLINTON TO DISCUSS USDA'S DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES - Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS)

• Memorandum of Understanding between the National Black Farmers Association, the USDA Forest Service, and the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees - Congressman John Conyers (D-MI)

• NC A&T Event Gives Voice to Black Farmers - North Carolina A&T University

• Black farmers fight racist discrimination - Workers World News Service

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For further information call, fax or write to:

Black Farmers and Agriculturists Association
P. O. Box 61
Tillery, NC 27887

Tel: 252-826-2800
Fax: 252-826-3244

E-mail: TILLERY@aol.com

GO TO: BFAA's Official Web Site

The BFAA Newsletter is available by mail only. Call 252-826-2800 to get on the list.

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Posted and maintained by:

Bennie J. McRae, Jr.
LWF COMMUNICATIONS
Trotwood, Ohio
E-mail: lwf@coax.net

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