Black Farmers Unfairly Denied Loans By USDA

President of the National Black Farmers Association, Dr. John W. Boyd, Jr., was selected to answer questions for WRAL concerning Black Farmers who were unfairly denied loans by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) between 1986 – 1997. Racial discrimination is a personal, as well as a national concern of Dr. Boyd. As the owner of a 300-acre poultry farm in Virginia, Dr. Boyd nearly lost both his home and livelihood due to discriminatory practices of the USDA.

As part of the “Ask Anything” segment of WRAL, viewers were asked to submit questions they had for Triangle newsmakers. Dr. Boyd provided detailed responses and advice to ten selected questions. Questions ranged from general questions concerning the kind of services provided to members to specific questions about what to do if they or a loved one were denied a loan by USDA based on race. To read the full story, visit www.wral.com/news/local/story/5722316/ .

The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin and McEachin & Gee LLP filed a lawsuit on Monday, June 2, 2008 in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (Case Number 1:08-cv-00940), on behalf of the National Black Farmers Association and hundreds of the nearly forty thousand African American farmers they represent in claims of discrimination against the federal government.

A website has been established to provide information to current and potential plaintiffs in the lawsuit captioned In re Black Farmers Discrimination Litigation, Case No. 08-mc-0511, which is pending in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia before the Honorable Paul L. Friedman. www.blackfarmerclaims.com