Gary Grant, the founding president of the National Black Farmers and Agriculturists Association and director of the National Land Loss
Fund, will speak at Carleton College on Thursday, Feb. 11, at 8 p.m., in Skinner Memorial Chapel, which is located near the main entrance to Carleton on the corner of College and First streets. His talk is free and open to the public. Members of local farming communities are especially encouraged to attend.
Grant is traveling through Minnesota as a member of the Black Farmers Tour to raise awareness of the impact the farm crisis has had on black farmers. In particular, he will discuss a class-action lawsuit brought by 1,000 black farmers against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, claiming discrimination through the denial of government loans, disaster relief and other aid. Grant is a plaintiff in the case, which was set to go to trial on Feb. 1.
On Jan. 5, a proposed settlement was reached between the two parties, with the USDA agreeing to pay $50,000 to black farmers who claim the Agriculture Department discriminated against them in the 1980s and '90s. The settlement also excuses farmers' debts to the USDA. A lead attorney in the case expects more than 5,000 farmers to file claims, calling the suit "the largest civil rights class-action lawsuit in the history of the country."
Bill Scheer, a member of an ad-hoc committee promoting the Black Farmers Tour in Minnesota, said some of the plaintiffs in the case, including Grant, oppose the settlement terms. "Among other things, the USDA does not acknowledge any specific wrongdoing....and [the settlement] doesn't do anything to discipline or remove agents responsible for the discrimination." He also stated that the settlement money isn't enough for farmers who lost land to get back into farming.
A fairness hearing on the settlement is set for March 2 in Washington, D.C. Grant is organizing a demonstration to protest the settlement and is calling for supporters to join him in Washington that day.
Grant's visit to Carleton is part of the College's observance of Black History Month and is sponsored by Multicultural Affairs, Multicultural Issues, and the Black Student Association.