Historic Day: Black Farmers Hearing in U.S. District Court
2011 HISTORIC FEDERAL COURT HEARING MOVES BLACK FARMERS ANOTHER STEP CLOSER TO COMPENSATION FOR DISCRIMINATION
John Boyd and Team Mark Achievement After 12 Year Effort WASHINGTON, DC – After a court hearing today, John W. Boyd, Jr., founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association and the team that has supported the organization's efforts on behalf of the nation's black farmers, will be one major step closer to achieving justice for the thousands of late filers who were discriminated against by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, never had their cases heard on the merits, and have won a new settlement and passage of $1.15 billion in funding for payments passed through Congress and signed into law by President Obama on December 8, 2010 at the White House.
Federal Judge Paul L. Friedman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia will hold a hearing this morning at 9:30 AM in Washington, DC. This hearing is the last major step before final court approval of the settlement. The claim submission, claim adjudications and distribution of awards periods will follow. Boyd will be in attendance and will be available for comment following the hearing.
Boyd and this team have devoted much of their professional careers since 1999 to the work on behalf of these farmers.
Boyd's efforts have been chronicled by the national press throughout this effort that has involved working with three presidential administrations and their leadership at the Departments of Agriculture and Justice, working with Congress, and a relentless strategy to keep the issue of the Black farmers in the news through public events (including rallies, marches, and press conferences), communications and policy efforts, conferences and more.
"Tomorrow is an important day, in fact a truly historic day for the nation's black farmers and for all of those who worked so hard to give every farmer their day in court so they may be compensated for the government's discrimination," said John Boyd. "We are supportive of the steps taken by Congress, the White House, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Court. With that said, we look forward to a hearing on the fairness of the distribution of legal fees. This issue should not hold up or slow down a single payment to the farmers, but must be resolved by the court in an appropriate manner."
Highlights of the work of Boyd and his team include:
• Meetings with President Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama and White House staffs
• Meetings with every agriculture secretary between 1999 and 2011
• Congressional meetings and calls with leadership, committee members and rank and file members and staff • Congressional testimony multiple times
• Written materials including press releases, statements, policy documents, report/study and more
• Hundreds of news media articles, TV segments and radio interview segments
Highlights of Boyd's events since 1999:
• Rally outside U.S. District Court - 1999
• Tractor rally at USDA - August 2002
• 200 mile mule ride and rally at USDA - November 2003
• USDA protests - 2006, 2009, 2010
• Rallies across the nation and tractor ride through Washington, DC - 2011
• Numerous events and press availabilities in between
Examples/highlights of press coverage of Boyd's efforts:
• USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Post, C-SPAN, Associated Press, Reuters - August 2002
• ABC World News Tonight - Person of the Week, National Public Radio, The Washington Post, Roll Call - November 2003
• CBS Evening News - Eye on America - December 2004
• Roll Call cover story - 2008
• The Washington Post cover story - 2009
• The New York Times - Editorial: Pay Up - February 8, 2010
• CNN feature stories - 2010
• And more every year from 1999 through present
WHAT: Fairness hearing in re BLACK FARMERS DISCRIMINATION LITIGATION
WHEN: Today, Thursday, September 1, 2011 9:30 AM
WHERE: U. S. District Court for the District of Columbia - Ceremonial Courtroom 333 Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20001
Press Contact:
Adam J. Segal
The 2050 Group
(202) 422-4673
