This is the VOA Special English AGRICULTURE REPORT.
Hezekiah Gibson operates a farm in Manning, South Carolina. Lastmonth, he and about sixty other black farmers traveled to a one-dayprotest in Washington, D-C.
The farmers and their supporters demonstrated near theheadquarters of the United States Department of Agriculture. Theywere protesting measures by the U-S-D-A they say have caused manyblacks to lose their farms. They also accuse the government offailing to honor an agreement to pay black farmers for years ofunfair treatment.
Mister Gibson said he did not like having to come to Washington.But he said he is tired of waiting for justice.
Three years ago, the government agreed to pay at leastfifty-thousand dollars to each farmer who suffered unfair treatment.However, the protesters say few farmers have received their money.
The Department of Agriculture is a huge government agency. Itlends money to farmers who have been refused loans by private banks.
Farm activists and civil rights officials have long blamed unfairtreatment by the U-S-D-A for causing many blacks to leave farming.The number of black farmers in the United States continues todecrease. About twelve percent of the American population is black.Yet only about one percent of farmers are black.
A group of black farmers started legal action against theDepartment of Agriculture in nineteen-ninety-seven. Two years later,a settlement between the two sides was announced. Under thesettlement, U-S-D-A officials agreed there were cases of unfairtreatment of blacks after nineteen-eighty-three. That was whenformer President Ronald Reagan closed the U-S-D-A office of civilrights. That office was re-opened six years ago.
The government has paid more than six-hundred-million dollars toalmost thirteen-thousand black farmers. It also canceled millions ofdollars in unpaid loans. However, more than eight-thousand caseshave been denied. Other farmers are still waiting for a decision.
A top U-S-D-A official says the Justice Department is examiningthe remaining claims. He added that the government is not opposed tomaking payments to the black farmers. He said it is more an issue offollowing through on the settlement.
This VOA Special English AGRICULTURE REPORT was written by GeorgeGrow.