John Boyd, Jr.

John Boyd, Jr., founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association, explains why he feels the USDA has not been a friend to the nation's Black farmers. Too Big to Fail author Andrew Ross Sorkin weighs in on whether the financial crisis can happen again in the not-too-distant future.

After trying for years to get a loan from the USDA and hearing similar stories about a decades-old system of racial discrimination within the agency, John Boyd, Jr. decided to fight back. The fourth-generation farmer founded the VA-based National Black Farmers Association as a way to bring the plight of African American farmers into the national spotlight. He was successful in getting new legislation within the '08 Farm Bill, which effectively reopened the government's discrimination settlement, and continues to be a tireless advocate.