Bill is most significant legislation for Black farmers since Civil Rights Act, experts say
The Senate-passed American Rescue Plan aims to compensate Black farmers for systemic racism.
By Laura ReileyThe Washington Post
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John Boyd checks soybeans in Baskerville, Va., in January 2019. He is a fourth-generation Black farmer. Melina Mara/The Washington Post
WASHINGTON A little-known element of President Biden’s massive stimulus relief package passed by the Senate on Saturday would pay billions of dollars to disadvantaged farmers – a provision that would benefit Black farmers in a way that some experts say no legislation has since the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
By Ryan Shepard
Sen.
Raphael Warnock may be a freshman congressman, but he is making veteran-like moves on Capitol Hill. The freshman senator has led the push for the Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act to be included in the latest COVID-19 relief package. Through his efforts, farmers of colors will receive $4 billion in debt relief. Ultimately, the Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act aims to build generational wealth for Black farmers and their families.
“We are one more important step closer to bringing emergency debt relief to Black, Native American and other Farmers of Color in this country,” National Black Farmers Association
iStock: simazoran Congress could pass as early as today one of the most sweeping relief programs for minority farmers in the nation’s history, through a provision of President Biden’s pandemic stimulus bill. Although the landmark legislation, which would cancel $4 billion worth of debt, seemed to emerge out of nowhere, it actually is the result of more than 20 years of organizing by Black farmers. The Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act will forgive 120% of the value of loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or from private lenders and guaranteed by the USDA, to “Black, Indigenous, and Hispanic farmers and other agricultural producers of color,” according to a release from the bill’s sponsors, Sens. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan.
Raphael Warnock Spearheads Bill That Provides $5 Billion For Black Farmers binnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from binnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.