The Justice for Black Farmers Act will address the history of discrimination in our nation’s agricultural policy and encourage a new generation of Black farmers.
On November 19th, Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Kirstin Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced the Justice for Black Farmers Act, a momentous piece of legislation aimed at reforming the United States Department of Agriculture and establishing a federal land grant program to encourage a new generation of Black farmers.
World Animal Protection is proud to publicly endorse this bill as an important step toward ending the inequalities that have caused Black farmers to lose millions of acres of farmland and robbed Black farmers and their families of hundreds of billions of dollars of inter-generational wealth.
According to a press release for the bill, “In 1920 there were nearly 1 million Black farmers in the United States. Today, due to this history of discrimination, it is estimated that there are less than 50,000 remaining Black farmers.” The Justice for Black Farmers Act would enable Black farmers in America to acquire up to 160 acres apiece at no charge through a USDA system of land grants. In a statement, Senator Booker said this bill would amount to an “equitable balancing of the scales after decades of systematic racism within the USDA that disadvantaged Black farmers, excluded them from loans and other programs, [and] prevented them from holding on to their land.”
At World Animal Protection, our vision is to create a world where respect for animals and nature sits at the heart of our food system, which is equitable, sustainable, resilient, and capable of feeding the world. We acknowledge that this vision is not achievable in the United States without addressing the systemic inequalities that plague this country.
It is our hope that the Justice for Black Farmers Act will empower Black family farmers across America to harvest nutritious foods and raise farmed animals for our communities in a sustainable and humane manner. Additionally, this visionary piece of legislation would bring much-needed reform to the livestock industry, including reining in the power of multinational agricultural corporations that put profits above all else.
By endorsing the Justice for Black Farmers Act, we stand in solidarity with Black rural Americans who have faced blatant discrimination for centuries. World Animal Protection is proud to support this legislation and we are hopeful that together we can create a more just and equitable food system for people, the planet, and animals.
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At World Animal Protection, our vision is to create a world where respect for animals and nature sits at the heart of our food system, which is equitable, sustainable, resilient, and capable of feeding the world. We acknowledge that this vision is not achievable in the United States without addressing the systemic inequalities that plague this country.