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Professional Black Farm Groups Set the Record Straight
Issues discussed in Atlanta were legislative remedies to assist Black
farmers
ATLANTA....In the spirit of
cooperation and recognizing the critical need to address the issues that are
causing the dramatic decline of Black owned land and the number of African
American farmers, the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance
Fund and the Arkansas Land and Farm Development Corporation agreed to meet
with other Black farm groups in Atlanta on September 21, 2004. Our objective
was to develop solidarity on issues that would develop and support
legislative remedies to the problems in the Pigford v Veneman case and other
legislation to assist Black farmers.
At the meeting in Atlanta we agreed to call ourselves a ³Conference of
Black Farm Organizations and Supporters² specifically for an interim period
of demanding legislative remedies. No new organization of Black farm groups
was created. We are therefore very disappointed and saddened that in the
aftermath of the Atlanta meeting two press releases were issued without our
knowledge. Even more troubling is the fact that the September 23, 2004 press
release citing a resolution was a total fabrication to put it mildly. No
resolution was passed at the meeting in Atlanta. No resolution was agreed
upon or even discussed.
Please understand that we have worked on behalf of African American farmers
for a combined total of over 50 years. We recognize that the problems
experienced by our clientele transcend politics and political parties.
Therefore, our approach has been and will always be non-partisan in nature.
What we also agreed upon at the meeting, however, was the need for
pro-active and bi-partisan legislation to effectively address the unique
problems faced by African American farmers. And, to that end, these are the
goals we will continue to pursue.
For additional information please contact Ralph Paige, Executive Director of
the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance at (404) 765 0991
and Calvin King, President of the Arkansas Land and Farm Development
Corporation at (870) 734 1140.