A BRIEF HISTORY

In 1910 Black farm ownership reached a peak at 15 million acres. In 1920 there were nearly one million Black farmers. Today there are fewer than 18,000 Black farmers in America operating on less than one million acres. In 1982 the United States Civil Rights Commission produced a study entitled, "The Decline of Black Farming in America." The study predicted if trends during the 80Ís continued there would be no Black-owned farms by the year 2000. The Commission's grim prediction is precariously close to becoming a reality.

In 1983 President Reagan eliminated the civil rights complaint division of the United States Department of Agriculture, which was not restored until 1996.

In 1990 a House committee report indicated the number of Black farmers declined at a rate nearly five times that of White farmers. In 1997 former Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman acknowledged that, "it's very clear that small farmers in general, and African American farmers in particular are having a harder and harder time keeping their land." Glickman's admission led to the controversial Timothy Pigford, et al. v. Glickman class action lawsuit that same year.

In January 1999 an out of court settlement referred to as the "Consent Decree" was reached, however nearly 50 percent of the Black farmers who have filed claims have been denied. The battle over the much maligned Consent Decree continues today, and according to most Black farmers so do the racist practices of the USDA.