Dear President Elect Obama

The Honorable Barack Obama
President-Elect, United States of America
Chicago, IL

Dear Mr. Obama:

Congratulations on your recent resounding victory in the presidential campaign. The people of America, young and old, black and white, rich and poor, male and female, have heard your theme of change.

Most of America is sitting and watching your appointments. While some are saying that it looks like President Clinton all over again, as you commented on national television in recent weeks, the real difference is in who is leading. So, my prayers continue to be with you, Mr. Obama.

My concerns are certainly with the economy and the war. More specifically, however, I am concerned about what has been going on historically in the United States Department of Agriculture. Much has been written on these and other pages, in the media of various forms, as to the "good old boy" circumstances and policies by which the USDA is run. My wish is that the Honorable Tom Vilsack will prove to be a worthy nomination as Secretary, USDA. Much is to be done in terms of the Farm Bill, renewable energy, small family farms, and other issues. While he is not without controversy, he also has his supporters.

Even more to the point, Mr. Obama, is that you charge Secretary Vilsack with adjudicating the massive number of civil rights complaints within the USDA. Congress did a notable thing a while back in agreeing that late claimants to the Pigford Suit could reapply for possible financial considerations, but the amount of money set aside is embarrassingly low. Please reconsider that sum of money that would go to black farmers of our land who have been mistreated by the USDA.

I would also encourage you, Mr. Obama, to appoint some people who could see that state and federal USDA offices function in a nondiscriminatory manner. While the law is color blind, people are not, and unfortunately, over the years, too many government employees and state and local officials have made decisions based on the color of a person's skin rather than on merit. I specifically recommend for your consideration Gary Grant, President of the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association, as a man of principle who has a keen grasp on the circumstances surrounding the plight of the black farmer. He could serve you well in Washington or within a state FSA office. Secondly, I would recommend for the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights within the USDA position another man of principle, a man who has indeed served in that position before, Mr. Lloyd Wright. He knows Washington, he knows farmer issues, and he has an excellent record with the USDA Office of Civil Rights. He's stayed involved in farming and related issues since his departure from office.

Thank you in advance for your consideration of these matters.

The people of our great land are praying for you, your wife, and your children.

Respectfully,

Waymon R. Hinson, Ph.D.
Activist

Merry Christmas, May Peace and Justice Reign

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. -- Isaiah 9:6-8

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. -- Micah 5:2

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. -- Isaiah 7:14

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. -- Luke 2:6,7

Time to read

Here are some of the books on my to-read list:

Black on White: Black Writers on What It Means to Be White (1998), edited by David R. Roediger

White Privilege: Essential Readings on the Other Side of Racism (2005), Paula S. Rothenberg

Understanding White Privilege: Creating Pathways to Authentic Relationships Across Race (2006), Frances E. Kendall

Invisible Men: Life in Baseball's Negro Leagues (1983), Donn Rogosin

Blackout: The Untold Story of Jackie Robinson's First Spring Training (2004), Chris Lamb

I can feel the holidays coming. Time to read.

What's on your book list? Let me know.

"A Prayer for the Nations"

The following is entitled "A Prayer for the Nations," and was penned and prayed in 1918 by Walter Henderson Brooks.

As of old Jehovah's working
Out of his will, in every land,
And it runs through all the ages,
Like a weaver's hidden strand.

Centuries with God are moments,
And a thousand years a day;
Kingdoms rise and wane and perish,
Others come and pass away.

'Tis not wealth alone, nor numbers,
Justice makes a people strong,
Righteousness exalts a nation,
Victories to God belong.

Give us then, O God, thy blessing!
We rely upon thy might,
Gird our men, and make them heroes,
Glorify the Cause of Right.

From Conversations with God: Two Centuries of Prayers by African Americans, by James Melvin Washington, Ph.D.

Meeting Up In Memphis at AAMFT

Several of us from Teams II, III, and IV met up in Memphis, Tennessee recently at the annual conference of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. These young women and men are either graduates of the COAMFTE-approved training program in marriage and family therapy at ACU, or they hope to be come August, 2009.

The poster session, "From Therapy to Advocacy, Principles to Practice: A Story of Two Groups," is actually a work in progress of several of these social justice teams from ACU. So, within a "poster" context at AAMFT in which attendees walk past, take a look, stop to converse, and then move on to the next poster, we were able to talk to some people about the efforts that we have often talked about on these pages.

In this one, we engaged creative people, Aaron Long and Joshua Hinson of Ada, Oklahoma and the Chickasaw Nation, to help us to construct a meaningful poster that compares and contrasts narratives of African American farmers and the people of the Chickasaw Nation. While there are striking differences, there are some striking similarities, especially around devotion to the land and land loss.

Here are some of the people who helped put this together, Tim Parker, Michelle Finley, Kimberly Cherry, Rebecca Culver, Ruqayyah Samia, Ty Mansfield, and Daniel Haile. Let us know if you have questions about the poster or this event.

We must start with the young

We were just sitting at his dining room table, having a friendly conversation about things that matter to him. Many times things that matter to him come by way of the question, "Poppie, what about.......?" I love those questions. I can see his young mind working.

On this particular day the conversation was about baseball, and not just baseball, but about the Negro leagues. The conversation darted in all sorts of directions. He wanted to know. He wanted to know why Black baseball players were excluded from the same game as Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson, and others.

Over on his family's dining room table was the book, "We are the Ship." He nodded in that direction, and we talked about the great athletes of old and how they played the game under difficult circumstances. He doesn't understand "Jim Crow," and lynching is way too harsh for his gentle heart, but he knows it happened.

Still he wanted to know why. He wanted to know how Josh Gibson would compare with Babe Ruth, or Hank Aaron, or Barry Bonds, or Mark McGwire. He is fascinated by what he knows of Satchel Paige and how he'd have done if he played all of his career in the major leagues.

He wants to know why it took baseball so long to integrate and how hard it must have been for Jackie Robinson.

For this young lad, it's about baseball and the love of the game, but it's also about justice and what is right.

I love those conversations. Now that we live in the same town, there may be more. I hope so. He and kids his age are the hope for tomorrow for our country. He has a younger brother, and I hope we'll have similar grandfather/grandson chats about things that matter.

Here is a drawing of one of his favorite players, Satchel Paige, posted here with his permission and the permission of his parents. It hangs on the wall in our office at the house. I hope you enjoy it.

GAO Report Says, "Significant Deficiencies"

According to this article out of Senator Tom Harkins' office, the General Accounting Office, the wing of Congress that investigates things says that Civil Rights efforts under the responsibility of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the USDA are pitiful. Not their word, but mine.

Tracking, adjudicating, failing to keep accurate data, and inadequately undertaking plans to address civil rights matters in the USDA are all deficiencies. Requested by senators on both sides of the isle, the report shows failures since 2002.

Here is a direct quote from the release:

"The Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights has not achieved its goal of preventing backlogs of pending civil rights complaints, with some complaints still pending from the early 2000s.

In addition, GAO found that progress report from the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights regarding the extent of and resolution of complaints have been inconsistent.

The reports published by the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, required by law, regarding minority participation in USDA programs are unreliable and of limited usefulness. Furthermore, USDA has not taken the steps necessary to improve the reliability of the data.

The strategic planning of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights has not included the necessary steps to 'provide fair and equitable services to all customers and uphold the civil rights of its employees.'"

Here are the recommendations:

"A statutory performance agreement containing measurable goals and expectations in key performance areas.

An independent and empowered civil rights oversight board tasked with approving, monitoring, and evaluating USDA civil rights activities.

An effective ombudsperson, 'independent, impartial, and fully capable of conducting meaningful investigations of USDA actions.'"

Don't you think it's time for the USDA to get these things right? Maybe? Finally?

We voted, Mr. Obama. We voted.

We did, Mr. Obama. The trust of the majority of the people of this land is in your hands. Your grass roots effort is like nothing our country has ever seen before. At some point, we'll want to see you move from rhetoric to reality, from promises made to promises kept. You are the hope of a new generation.

We voted for you, every color dark or light, young or old, rich or poor, male or female, well educated or less so.

Now, Mr. Obama, what will you do for the Black farmers of our land? They are waiting. We are waiting. Many are old. They are dying as we speak. Their children and grandchildren doubt that they'll be treated any better by the USDA than were their parents and grandparents.

Is your election a sign of a new day for the people across the country? Has indeed the racial divide been bridged? Eradicated? Or the edges smoothed?

What about racism and drawing distinctions based on color in the halls of our hallowed institutions? Can we hope for change there? I hope so, Mr. Obama. We hope so.

We voted, Mr. Obama. We voted.

They came, they worked, they produced

Several weeks back on this blog I wrote with much enthusiasm about Ruqayyah, Ty, and Daniel coming to Ada. It's a 4 1/2 trip from Abilene, Texas to Ada, Oklahoma, but somehow they managed it with busy schedules, clients to see, things to read, papers to write, and their other obligations to manage. It was a packed weekend. We stayed up late, laughed, talked, and, of course, we had to show them the community and have them meet some of the people here in this community.

After a morning run for Ty, Daniel, and me, one of my wife's world famous breakfast casseroles, and a tour of the key spots of the city, we settled into an afternoon of thinking out loud. We all wanted to stay with the essential ideas of developing a conceptual model that engages structural and narrative theory, work of previous teams, and ideas related to racism in its various forms that emerge from institutions of power and privilege upon the lived experiences of people.

We were able later to engage the expertise of two professionals here in Ada, Aaron Long and Joshua Hinson, in putting together a poster that speaks to the ideas and concepts that we consider to be germane to the topic at hand. We expanded it a bit by adding a second group alongside Black farmers for the purposes of comparing and contrasting. We are of the opinion that it gives us something to think about, and something that should continue to stir us to action.

At the end of the day, institutions of power and privilege are still amongst us. Racism still is ever present. Decisions are made as to worth on the basis of skin color, and other de-personalizing things, and our world is the poorer for it.

Though I'm no longer at ACU, and no longer teaching in the MFT program there, I am pleased, very pleased, that these students opted to continue the work of Teams I, II, and III.

Here is what this group of MFT students at ACU produced.

Debates: "You Can Vote However You Like"

Debates of various sorts are all around here, some substantive and some just airing the same old thing. In the arena where I work these days, we don't debate, but on Friday mornings over doughnuts and "pigs in the blankets," or "kolaches," whatever you wish to call them, we talk about things that matter. I would much rather sit and discuss from all angles things that matter.

Here, however, is the most unique debate you'll ever see. It is a refreshing thing to watch in these most interesting times. Thanks to Larry James of http://www.larryjamesurbandaily.blogspot.com/ and his friends for letting us know about. Here it is from youtube. What energy, enthusiasm, passion! I love it, and hope you do, too.

"Significant Deficiencies" Found

Copyright 2008 Congressional Quarterly, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Congressional Press Releases

October 22, 2008 Wednesday

PRESS RELEASE

967 words

GAO REPORT AGAIN FINDS "SIGNIFICANT DEFICIENCIES" IN CIVIL RIGHTS AT USDA

CHARLES GRASSLEY, SENATOR, SENATE

For Immediate Release

GAO Report Again Finds "Significant Deficiencies" In Civil Rights At USDA

Contact: Jennifer Mullin 202-224-3254

October 22, 2008

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A report released today by the independent investigative arm of Congress, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), says that the civil rights efforts overseen by Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are marked by "significant deficiencies" and recommends new accountability structures to correct ongoing failures.

Specifically, GAO found that USDA fails to track and adjudicate civil rights complaints, fails to provide accurate data regarding minority participation in USDA programs, and fails to adequately undertake strategic planning with respect to civil rights. The report was conducted at the request of U.S. Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and U.S. Representatives Joe Baca (D-CA) and Edolphus Towns (D-NY). The lawmakers asked the GAO to focus especially on the performance of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, a position created in the 2002 Farm Security and Rural Investment Act and tasked with directing civil rights efforts across USDA.

Earlier this year, the lawmakers protested directly to USDA when reports surfaced that the Department obstructed and temporarily shut down the GAO investigation. According to GAO, USDA officials delayed providing information and, in some cases, instructed USDA employees not to comply with GAO.

"I am disheartened to learn that, despite Congressional direction, USDA continues to fail in its civil rights performance," said Harkin. "And even more disappointed by USDA's rejection of key recommendations offered by GAO. It's time for a new approach on this issue, and I'm grateful to GAO for providing a set of specific recommendations for the consideration of the committee."

"More of the same from USDA in the area of civil rights is not acceptable," Grassley said. "The new report from GAO validates and even expands what other assessments have found about decades- long problems. The leadership of the Department of Agriculture needs to make the GAO recommendations a priority and do everything in the agency's power to make measureable improvements to the way it handles civil rights issues."

"After we held hearings on this matter in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Congress created the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the USDA and tasked that position with resolving long standing discrimination concerns. In 2006 we asked the GAO to provide us with an objective analysis. The findings of this report are troubling. After six years, improvements still have not been good enough," Lugar said.

USDA has a long history of failing to enforce civil rights laws and to ensure that minority farmers and ranchers are able to access assistance and benefits under USDA programs. In the 2002 farm bill, Congress included several initiatives to strengthen civil rights enforcement and to assist minority farmers and ranchers. First, to create new accountability for civil rights compliance across USDA programs and offices, Congress created the position of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, tasked by statute with "ensuring compliance with all civil rights and related laws....coordinating administration of civil rights laws within the Department....and ensuring that necessary and appropriate civil rights components are properly integrated into all strategic initiatives of the Department and agencies of the Department (7 U.S.C. 6918(d))." Second, to track progress over time, Congress also required the Department of Agriculture to report annually on the participation rate of minority farmers and ranchers in Department of Agriculture Programs.

To determine whether, as a result of this legislation, the Department of Agriculture has improved its civil rights performance, Senators Harkin, Lugar, and Grassley, as well as Representatives Baca and Towns, asked GAO to investigate USDA civil rights actions since the 2002 farm bill, including the actions of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights in 1) resolving discrimination complaints, 2) reporting on minority participation in USDA programs and, 3) strategic planning for ensuring USDA's services and benefits are provided fairly and equitably.

A copy of the GAO report is available by clicking here <http://harkin.senate.gov/documents/pdf/GAOReportUSDA.pdf> .

Key GAO Findings

-- The Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights has not achieved its goal of preventing backlogs of pending civil rights complaints, with some complaints still pending from the early 2000s. In addition, GAO found that progress report from the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights regarding the extent of and resolution of complaints have been inconsistent.

-- The reports published by the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, required by law, regarding minority participation in USDA programs are unreliable and of limited usefulness. Furthermore, USDA has not taken the steps necessary to improve the reliability of the data.

-- The strategic planning of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights has not included the necessary steps to "provide fair and equitable services to all customers and uphold the civil rights of its employees."

To remedy the lack of civil rights compliance at USDA, GAO recommended three possible actions.

-- A statutory performance agreement containing measurable goals and expectations in key performance areas.

-- An independent and empowered civil rights oversight board tasked with approving, monitoring, and evaluating USDA civil rights activities.

-- An effective ombudsperson, "independent, impartial, and fully capable of conducting
meaningful investigations of USDA actions."

October 22, 2008

Somebody else is blogging

Somebody else out there is blogging about the USDA's history of ignoring civil rights complaints of Black farmers.

Check out this link.

And, read further on this blog as a variety of writers write about concerns for rural America. I'm living in rural America and am beginning to hear more of what worries people in small-town USA.

Coming to Town

One of the most difficult things about transitioning from academic life to life in Oklahoma has to do with students. Yesterday I walked across the campus at the university here in town, not as a faculty member, but as a visitor, but it all felt familiar, all of the energy, the passion, the conversations, the ideas, and on and on we could go.

So, it is with much enthusiasm that my wife and I approach this weekend. It's that way because Social Justice Team IV is coming to town. Perhaps that is an odd way of "labeling" these three good people, but, indeed, they do form Team IV: Ruqayyah Samia, Daniel Haile, and Ty Mansfield, all students in the COAMFTE-approved marriage and family therapy program at Abilene Christian University. All such programs do a good job of teaching bright students how to become good marriage and family therapists. ACU is a bit different in that it engages the best and the brightest, not just to become good therapists, but to do so for the sake of the Kingdom. Along the way, several of them over the past four years have allowed their hearts to lead them to join the social justice team work, work that is explained in the header up to your right from this page. I'm proud of those students, present and past, because they are indeed advocating for good in a lot of places around the country these days.

So, this weekend will be a sweet one, and it'll end too quickly. We'll show them around the city, eat some good food, catch up a bit, and then we'll jump into what we'll do in Memphis at AAMFT, and hopefully in Ft. Worth at TAMFT in January, and especially what we'll do as we continue to study white privilege in the area of farming. Is it there? I think it is. We'll see. We'll let you know what we come up with on these pages.

New Farmer Options

The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service of the USDA is holding one last listening session in Little Rock, Arkansas on October 22 at the Risk Management Agency. The 2008 Farm Bill is making available $18 million in fiscal year 2009 for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program via a competitive grant process. See this link for details.

The USDA acknowledges that small farms are an "important sector of U.S. agriculture," and that in 2003, "small-scale enterprises make up 91 percent of all farms and ranches in the United States, hold 70 percent of total farm and ranchland, and produce 27 percent of our food and fiber.In addition, more than half the hay and tobacco, and more than 30 percent of cash grains, dairy products and beef cattle come from small farms and ranches." See this link for more details.

This site goes on to say: "Small-scale producers come from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Some families have been working on the land for generations; others are new to the business. Some families depend on small-scale production as their principal means of economic support; others choose it primarily as a lifestyle. Underlying this diversity, however, small-scale farmers and ranchers share characteristics that make them a valuable resource for the United States over and above to the crops and livestock they produce: a commitment to agriculture, strong links to local communities, and a need to love and care for the land."

Small-scale farmers, especially "socially disadvantaged farmers" are encouraged to pursue these opportunities. This is a small opportunity for adult children of farmers who have struggled to hold on to their land to get back into farming and ranching.

My only regret is that there is so much red tape involved, and it looks like the process is complicated, but those are simply signs of the times in which we live.

So, encourage any small-scale farmer, or family farmer, that you know to look into these options. I can think of some folks I plan to call.

Charlie Wilson and Me

Charlie Wilson and I have a few things in common. No, maybe we have three things in common. We're both from smalltown USA, Trinity, Texas, and graduates of Trinity High School. Yes, we both are even listed as "Tiger Heroes." See this page if you're unconvinced. Yes, a bit ostentatious, but it'll make the point. The book about him was a heavy read, so it was simply a case of wait until the movie comes out to see what he did. Even as a kid growing up in East Texas, he was a larger than life character, but not one whose paths ever crossed with mine.

In the movie, Tom Hanks portrays him in "Charlie Wilson's War" as a complex and passionate man who is moved by what he sees when he goes to Afghanistan and visits with children whose arms have been blown off by the atrocities of the Russian army in their attempt to overtake the land and its people. That was a moving scene in the movie as the two children with the translator talk to Wilson. From that point on, Wilson was committed as long as he had breath in his body and a member of Congress, that he would fight for these people.

In a similar way, I still recall the interviews with farmers in Texas, Louisiana, and Georgia in the mid-90s. As I've said on several occasions, "I was not prepared for what I saw, felt, and heard." On the other hand, when those experiences come up with people of color, their response is typically, "Of course! What did you expect?!" How naive I was, how out of touch I was, with what had been happening on the farms and in the communities where African American farmers came face to face with the racist implications of policies for farming loans, etc. that should have been made for a playing field in which all farmers, every color dark or light, could negotiate.

So, in those days, the images of strokes, kidney failure, loss of life and farm land and farming and family, blindness, and on and on and on, moved me deeply, and they still do today.

The story has not been completely written, that of what will happen to the black farmers of our land. Like the line in the Wilson movie relative to Afghanistan, "the ball keeps bouncing and bouncing," and where will it stop bouncing for farmers. Will the 2008 farm bill and its economics and policies which address the issues for socially disadvantaged farmers work? Will the opportunity for those farmers shoved aside under Pigford actually make a difference, efforts for those 70,000 black farmers left in the dust of red tape as "late filers?"

Anyway, I admire Charlie Wilson's passion for righting wrongs. He saw children with arms blown off. I saw farmers who'd lost much of their health, livelihood, and trust in the system.

I'm just wondering. Did Charlie Wilson ever meet any Black farmers in his district? Maybe

our paths will cross some day and we can talk about that.

Another good video that captures the struggle

Important message from the Rural Coalition

URGENT: USDA Sign-On Letter

The Farm and Food Policy Diversity Initiative and the Sustainable Ag Coalition are circulating the following sign-on letter to Agriculture Secretary Schafer regarding the new Office of Advocacy and Outreach created in Section 14013 of the 2008 Farm Bill. The Office of Advocacy and Outreach will be responsible for ensuring that small, beginning, and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers have access to USDA programs. In general, it will also ensure coordination between, monitoring of, and goal-setting for all USDA programs that address small, beginning, and socially disadvantaged producers. USDA has yet to establish the new office and there is concern that they may not place it within executive operations under the Secretary or transfer programs from the Office of Civil Rights, despite the clear statutory directive to do so.

What to do:

The deadline for sign-on is COB this Thursday, September 4. Please email your organization name, city and state and a contact person to Lpicciano@ruralco.org if your organization would like to sign on.

For further information contact: Ferd Hoefner, Sustainable Agriculture Coalition at fhoefner@sustainableagriculturecoalition.org, Traci Bruckner, Center for Rural Affairs, at tracib@cfra.org, or Lorette Picciano, Farm and Food Policy Diversity Initiative atlpicciano@ruralco.org.

The Honorable Ed Schafer
Secretary of Agriculture
200-A Jamie L Whitten Building
Washington, DC 20250

Dear Secretary Schafer,

As you move forward with the implementation of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, we the undersigned believe it is critical that the newly created Office of Advocacy and Outreach (section 14013) be implemented in a manner that allows it to best achieve its important mission. In creating this office, Congress identified the clear need to place direct emphasis on small farms and beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. In order to achieve the mission of assuring access for these emerging sectors of US agriculture to USDA programs, coordination and accountability across all USDA mission areas is critical. It is therefore essential that this office be placed at the Departmental level, as Congress provided, directly reporting to you, the Secretary of Agriculture. In this and other sections of the 2008 Farm Bill, Congress also recognized the need to make special provisions for the often similar needs small, beginning and socially disadvantaged producers face in achieving viability and profitability. As such, two separate but very much related groups were established within the Office, each adding new functions while continuing and expanding previous work of significant but previously unrelated entities:

1. The Socially Disadvantaged Farmers group includes the new Advisory Committee on Minority Farmers established under Section 14009, and the Farmworker Coordinator established in Section 14013. The existing functions of the current Office of Outreach and Diversity which serves socially disadvantaged producers and minority serving institutions are also transferred to the Office of Advocacy and Outreach from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, thereby allowing the ASCR to focus solely on the critical tasks of assuring USDA compliance with civil rights laws and addressing the many unresolved civil rights cases and issues. This transfer allows the functions of the current Office of Outreach and Diversity to be separated from the issues of program and service discrimination and folded into a special group that focuses on building a better present and future in agriculture for socially disadvantaged producers.

2. The Small and Beginning Farmers and Ranchers group is given responsibility for continuing and building upon the functions for the existing Office of Small Farms Coordination, the Small Farms and Beginning Farmer and Rancher Council, and the Advisory Committee for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers, plus a consultative role on the administration of the Beginning Farmer and Ranchers Development Program administered by CSREES.

No less important than providing a new home and enhanced responsibilities for these ongoing programs and functions is the new law's wider vision of the duties of the new office, including establishing departmental goals and objectives, measuring outcomes, and providing input into programmatic and policy decisions. These new functions require office location outside of any agency or mission area. In the 2008 Farm Bill, Congress also adopted a wide variety of special provisions to address the needs of both socially disadvantaged and beginning farmers. Implementation of these provisions also underscores the urgent need for a separate office at the Departmental level that coordinates and monitors outreach and services across all mission areas to assure access to new programs and to measure and report results.

For these reasons, the legislation purposely includes specific language that ensures this office would be created at the Department level. Section 14013 states, "Secretary shall establish within the executive operations of the Department an office to be known as the 'Office of Advocacy and Outreach.'" There can be no other meaning to this language than as to create this office as a separate office directly under and reporting to the Secretary, rather than under or through any other office, mission area, Assistant Secretary, or Under Secretary. We urge you to move forward with this office as a clearly separate office, equal to other Executive Operations offices in a timely manner.

As regulations to establish the Office of Advocacy and Outreach are created, it is essential this office and its two branches be rooted in and enhance relationships to the many agencies of the Department through the existing networks of Outreach and Small Farm Coordinators. The implementation team and the new directors and staff of the office must include Coordinators and others with significant experience working with small farms and with beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and deep understanding of the current and emerging programs of the Department.

The Department's focus on small farms and beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers as a key sector of agriculture has been sporadic and fractured to the detriment of the producers. The USDA should make full use of this new authority to devote the full front-and-center attention that will allow this sector to flourish to the benefit of rural communities and our food system.

Sincerely,

Rural Coalition/Coalición Rural, Washington, DC
Intertribal Agriculture Council, Billings, MT
And more.

Cc: Sen. Tom Harkin
Rep. Collin Peterson
Sen. Russ Feingold

Storm-Beaten (1908)

Here is a prayer written and prayed by Clara Ann Thompson, published in James Melvin Washington's Conversations with God: Two Centuries of Prayers by African Americans.

Storm-Beaten

Weary, worn, and sorrow-laden

Jesus, I have come to Thee;

Shield me from the darts of Satan;

Set my fettered spirit free.

Hearken to my plea for guidance,

As I kneel before thy throne;

Cheer me with Thy Holy Presence,

When I feel I'm all alone.

Struggling with the cares that press me,

Falling, when I fain would stand,

Thou alone, canst guide and keep me,

Take, oh take my trembling hand!

Pity Thou my many failings!

Strengthen Thou my falt'ring trust;

Keep me, 'mid the wind's loud wailing,

Thou, the Pitiful and Just!

What's in your iPod?

Early mornings these days continue to be filled with an attempt to regain some sense of normalcy. The early hours of the day are filled with the routine of getting out to the track at ECU here in Ada, Oklahoma, jogging a few miles, rehydrating with Gatorade, and all the while listening to tunes via the shuffle mode on my iPod. After several years of running without music to listen to and run to, it was time to make that change.

One of the most interesting albums on my playlist is "Wade in the Water," released in 2005 by the Joyful Sound Gospel Choir in Tillery, NC. The members of the choir come from the Tillery Resettlement community and are committed to raising funds to give back to that community.

The CD was recorded live at the Galilee Missionary Baptist Church, Highway 561, Tillery, NC on March 25, 2005. Proceeds go to the work of the Concerned Citizens of Tillery. In fact, if you write CCT, PO Box 61, Tillery, NC 27887, they'll probably sell you a copy.

The list of songs? All amazing. Sung with passion and energy. Here's the list: Precious Memories, Fly Away, Heaven On My Mind, Walk with Me, I Shall Not Be Moved, In the Valley, Oh! Freedom, Amazing Grace, Ship of Zion, Steal Away, I Know I Been Changed, Get Aboard,
Wade in the Water, and Amen.

Check out this link for how it was used to spotlight the documentary, "We Shall Not Be Moved."

Your playlist is incomplete with this CD.

Words of a former student

Here is the text written by a student of mine, Michelle Finley, who is now studying MFT at Purdue University. The article was originally written for a local Christian newspaper there in Abilene. I think you'll appreciate her reflections.

"In the blink of an eye a life can be saved by a simple act of empathy and an informed, not-knowing stance. My own life’s joys and sufferings have shaped how I perceive the experience of others and empathize with them. At the same time I have a great amount of curiosity about each person’s unique journey. We all have experiences or events in our lives potentially providing a framework from which to serve others and help bring justice to someone’s life. I do not mean a heroic, valiant pursuit of justice in some mythic superhero legend, but rather a deceptively small act that ameliorates suffering simply by choosing love and the way of Christ.

During my training as a marriage and family therapist I encounter an array of opportunities to-in some way-help others who are oppressed in their relationships and in their communities. So often, as Christians, we galvanize ourselves by striving to know exactly what God’s plan or will is for our lives, yet all around us are moments begging us to display God’s love to others. How do we display God’s love? To answer this question I humbly venture into my journey through the world of marriage and family therapy and the unexpected places I have been as a result.

For the past year I have embarked on a journey in my internship at the Marriage and Family Institute to be among a chorus of voices seeking justice among African-American farmers facing discrimination at the hands of the USDA and local county officials. Simple and small, yet vastly profound implications for the lives affected simply from caring to ask, caring to research, and caring to speak. I am currently working with my professor and mentor, Dr. Waymon Hinson, and a team of six other students in hearing the stories of black farmers and the discrimination they face while dealing with the USDA. Because of skin color these farmers have experienced financial hardships and diminished livelihood from USDA workers refusing to honor these farmers for their work in providing this country with much of its food supply.

As a marriage and family therapy intern, I learn and apply theoretical models of how to “do therapy” as I work with individuals, couples, and families striving to better their lives. Many of these models’ objectives are to help people find paths to better, healthier living. My faith in God and my awe for the words, actions, and love made manifest in the life of Christ fuel my passion and desire to help carve out new paths for people to break free from oppression and injustice. Therapy, for me, is an obvious profession to channel the love of Christ. What fascinated me most about Dr. Hinson’s research with black farmers is how various therapy modalities can be applied to larger human systems in addition to individuals, couples, and families. I liken this scenario of applying therapy to larger human systems to how Christians employ both discipleship and missions in bringing salvation and relationship with God to other people across the globe. How rewarding to extend my skills as an intern to a world of hurting people in need for someone to hear, for someone to care, and for someone to help facilitate healing from injustice!

Advocacy evolves out of listening, observing, and addressing points of injustice. Psychology and marriage and family therapy alike point to the role of the therapist as an advocate for the oppressed. As a therapist I hear stories of domestic violence and subsequently connect persons to resources liberating them from the abuse. I listen to the dreams and hurts of a teenager and helping that teen uncover his true identity. I utilize my training in systems theory to address the emotional, physical, and social impact discrimination has on black farmers."

Words to the graduates

These are the words that I spoke over the MFT/ACU graduates on Thursday night, August 7. In that audience were seven members of Justice Team III and three members of Justice Team IV.

The work of these teams has always been a "co-curricular" thing. While the students do take a research course in which they explore via quantitative and qualitative methodologies these things that we write about here, the experiences of travel and interviews and all have been above and beyond the curriculum. They are going to make a huge difference in the world. Already has started.

We Serve a God of Extravagance

MFT Department Graduation Banquet

August 7, 2008

There is a time and a place to speak of extravagance, not in the ostentatious sense of the word, but in the God-intended sense of the word. As I see it, we serve an extravagant God who creates extravagantly, a God who loves extravagantly, a God who gifts extravagantly, and a God who calls us to extravagant living and loving out of our giftedness.

So we come to this place to honor those who wish to honor their calling. I think it is something like this. And then there was a star on the horizon, just as there is every evening as the sunlight fades. Then there is a second, a third, a fourth. Some show signs of brightness, but soon they burn out; perhaps they're not stars but meteors that only exist temporarily. Others find a different orbit than the rest. Some travel widely across the sky and for longer periods of time than the rest of us, Jeff Holland and Gretchen Etheredge, while others are a bit younger, Sarah or Kimberly or Rebecca. Others take rather circuitous routes to reach us, Ruqayyah or Kristi or Carlos or Ty, while others are a little more direct, Jordan, Mindy, or Daniel.

Whatever the path, we wind up in the same place and the same space for a span of time. We don't feel like stars, and we certainly don't always feel terribly gifted, but there are those moments when our calling is clear. It may be after moments of terror with either a professor or a client, but then the chosen and the choosing merge into something meaningful.

It's clear that we're not always in charge of our paths, that obstacles are placed in front of us, to challenge us or to refine our faith as of by fire, or to encourage us to continue in our calling. Back when I was in graduate school, one of my professors who intimidated me immensely, Dr. Jack P. Lewis, coined the phrase "ministry of study," and that, I think is what you do here, while practicing on people, so as to reach that incredible balance of understanding how theory does indeed drive practice and within that context of the therapy room, that intimate, lived moment, we actually get to see attitudes and behaviors change.

It's also clear that someone is in charge of "seasons" of our lives, and that it's not us. The teacher of old wrote, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven."

And so, there's a time to be born and a time to die;

a time to think about MFT and a time to accept the invitation;

a time to plant and a time to uproot;

a time to receive the scholarship offer and a time to ask more from Dr. Halstead;

a time to kill and a time to heal;

a time to wonder if Abilene is the right place and a time to drive away from it nostalgically;

a time to tear down and a time to build;

a time to sit in your first lecture with Milholland and a time to hear Goff for the last time;

a time to weep and a time to laugh;

a time to put the first letter on the first page of your first paper and a time to put the period at the end of your last reference page;

a time to mourn and a time to dance;

a time to watch Hinson interview a family and a time to say,"I can do that, too;"

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them;

a time to feel the anxiety of the client hour #1 and a time to experience the emotional tug of the last hour, whatever the number;

a time to embrace and a time to refrain;

a time to be reluctantly supervised and a time to welcome the coaching;

a time to search and a time to give up;

a time to wonder if you'll ever be worth what folks will pay you and a time to realize that a laborer is worthy of his or her hire;

a time to keep and a time to throw away;

a time to buy those books on bestbookbuys.com and a time to sell them to incoming, unsuspecting first years;

a time to tear down and a time to mend; and

a time to doubt your calling and a time to embrace it tenaciously.

So, how do you put God, extravagance, MFT, stardom, your sitting here tonight, and your calling together? I think it goes like this, and just a little further on in that particular section of Biblical text. In that section, rewritten tonight, is "He has also set eternity in the hearts of people; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

My prayer for you is that you will embrace the eternity within you, that you will live out your calling extravagantly, and that you will inch ever so closer to fathoming what extravagant things God has done and is doing through you, and by doing so you will both honor your amazing giftedness and make the world a better place.

And, a PS to the social justice team graduates:

A time to consider joining and a time to jump onto the team after much prayer;

a time to ponder the overwhelming injustices in the world and a time to decide that 'I can do a little something about them' in my corner of the universe;

a time to read of the plight of the Black farmer and a time to hear Hinson tell their stories and a time to go and talk to them directly;

a time to write letters to the President of the US and the secretary of the USDA and

a time to read their letters of response;

a time to grieve at the injustices wrought upon Black farmers of our land and a time to be astounded at their resiliencies;

a time to read about the plight of the Black farmer and a time to listen to the interviews;

a time to wonder how you'll be received if you tell your family and friends what you're up to and a time to get in the mail an article from an aunt or an uncle who is now aware of the struggle; and

a time to pray, 'Lord will these meager efforts ever make a difference,' and a time to do them again, and again, and again.

Well worth the time to watch and listen

Here's an Iowa Public Television documentary on the Black farmer issue. I think it's worth the time to look and listen.

I've met folks who did not hear of the Pigford Consent Decree, and others who in other ways were denied access to the consent decree.

In the present, looking at the past, peering into the future

It was an interesting Sunday evening that consisted of Charla's world famous breakfast casserole for dinner, lively conversation, and "The Great Debaters."

We watched the movie as the evening light faded, a good thing because it allowed all of us to hide our emotions at the intense moments of the movie, and there were several. For me the first was when the young woman from Wiley College spoke passionately to the audience about integration, that the time "is always now," out in the middle of of the pasture with the church's tent shielding the listeners from the sun. The second one was the lynching scene. Too unspeakable to attempt to describe. The third was young Farmers' presentation in the hall on the Harvard Campus.

We laughed at lot because one of our number has numerous friends and acquaintances who were extras in the movie, and her college band played in the sound track of the movie.

For all of us, it was a riveting look back at Jim Crow, lynchings, racism, and people of immense courage. The prof who was a teacher and coach by day and an activist for the Southern Tenants Farmers Union by night, risking life and limb for a cause. The students who slowly grabbed hold of the idea that they could and should stand up, speak up, and shout out words of freedom and liberation before audiences large and small.

For me, it was a retrospective into the things I've been reading and studying, teaching, and writing about over the last few years.

For me also was the realization that three of the next generation of activists were sitting in our living room......

Now that stirs me deeply, more deeply than I have words to express.

Story from Arkansas

Check out this video:

Living life in post-Pigford

Few people would say that the Pigford Consent Decree was just. Some would say that it unnecessarily spent money on Black farmers. Others say that it was too little too late. Others say that attorneys got what farmers should have gotten. All in all, at best, it was a mixed effort. Here's a link that summarizes the effort. Here's a link that spells it all out in great detail. And, here's one more link that summarizes more complications of the suit as of July, 2008. Finally, here's an article that puts the Consent Decree within its larger context of African Americans and Black farmers.

So, now that the 2008 Farm Bill has been settled, now that we know that there's $100,000,000 minimum to settle grievances with the 73,000 Black farmers who were denied access to Pigford, now that we're in the middle of an election year, and now that our nation's Black farmers are settling in to various law suits, how do we know that things are going to get settled any differently? We can only work, hope, and pray for justice this time around.

In a previous post, I gave a shout out to a county south of Birmingham, AL in which close to 1,000 farmers never received information about Pigford. At this point, I'm also wondering about how the Black farmers of our country who were denied access in 1999 will find out about what's going on on their behalf in 2008. As for me and my house, there'll be calls made to various and sundry Black farmers to make sure that they know and to make sure that they're letting their friends know. No one in the USA should be kept out of the loop of this thing.

Here's one more link that briefly summarizes these important matters.

Here they are.....Team IV

Here are the good people who have formed Social Justice Team IV here at Abilene Christian University and the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy. Justice is important to them, matters of faith course through their veins, and making the world a better place for all is what they hang their hats on. A little hyperbolic? Likely, but, frankly, I'm excited about the ideas that are being tossed about these days by this group of students, and pleased to be walking alongside them. So, here are Ty, Ruqayyah, and Daniel. You may remember that Ruqayyah and Ty attended the Black Land Loss Summit in Whitakers and Tillery, NC back in February, 2008. More will be posted about them under justice teams over the next few days along with the direction of our work. Thanks to Jeff Emery for the photography.

Meet Harry Young

Several years ago I met Harry Young at a black land loss conference in Memphis. Then, in November, 2007, my wife and I ventured up to Frankfort, Kentucky to march on his behalf. Just a few weeks back, he spoke at a national whistleblower conference in Washington, DC.

Here is Mr. Young in his own words:

I Just Wonder.....

Over the last two or three years I've read some interesting accounts by authors who have pursued their lineage that led back ultimately to the plantations of this country and the intersection of blacks and whites, of slaves and masters. One, Slaves in the Family, was especially intriguing, and another, The Hairstons: An American Family in Black and White, was good as well. Would recommend both.

Over the weekend, I watched an interesting documentary of the same sort. David Wilson, an African American from a rough city background goes off in search of his ancestry, and along the way meets David Wilson, Caucasian BBQ entrepreneur from North Carolina. Each can trace his roots back to the Wilson plantation. They meet talk, discuss race, reparations, slavery, and current views on these matters. Here's the link to it.

For several years now, in a personal way, I've wondered similar things. What would it be like to meet people of color that my people once owned. Several sides of my family are as vanilla as vanilla can get, but on one particular side, there was at least what looks like an "upper middle class" family during the early to mid-1800s in the South. This particular family owned property, farmed, and preached. And, they owned several slaves, persons whose names are in my family ancestry files. While my last name is not the same as the slave-owning folks' surname, still, the lineage is unmistakably there.

So, I've often fantasized about meeting African Americans whose name rings throughout my family tree. I wonder what it would be like to meet Black Jeffcoats who could trace their history back to Swansea, Orangeburg County, South Carolina. I wonder what those conversations would sound like. Would there be "leftovers" that would have to be deconstructed. Would there be rage of some sort? Would there be tears?

There are indeed Jeffcoats who are African American, and they come from that area of the country.

Any of you have these experiences? If so, I'd like to hear from you.

I do hope to meet them some day. Until then, I'll just wonder.

Seems like yesterday....

At the end of December, 2004, when the snow had made the area in Abilene where I live a winter play land, while out jogging one morning, I made a decision to write my grandsons each day, to reflect on things like running, life events, relationships, etc. That commitment was something I kept religiously. Here, then, is a part of a letter written on June 28, 2005 (hopefully they won't mind this one peek into their letters), one of the most memorable days of walking alongside advocates and farmers in this righteous cause. So, three years later, here are the words I penned to two children that day.

"We arrived in Raleigh, NC on Monday night after leaving you in Ada early Monday morning. We drove to OKC, took a flight to KC, MO, and then much to our surprise, we had to fly to Baltimore, MD in order to get down to NC. That was long, long, long, long. Then we found our way to the hotel, a nice one by the way, and then had dinner and bought a potted plant for the grave of a deceased farmer and his wife.

Then, yesterday morning, we were up and out early, something like up at 5:00 am our time and out to drive to Tillery, NC at 6:00 our time. We go there in plenty of time and just drove through the area.

Then at 10:30 things began to pop. We met the Black Farmer president, heard the history of the Tillery community, watched a video of the group that meets in the community center, met several kids and a bunch of adults, and then set off on an amazing lunch meeting. We sang, prayed, and read scripture like it was church, except that all the participants, and all the people at the meeting, except for your Mema and Poppie, were African Americans. We were the only white faces we saw all day long.

We had a great lunch, did a silly exercise led by an elderly, retired teacher, and then the farmer president asked Poppie and Mema to speak. That’s called an impromptu speech. Mema was amazing, and I’d called mine 'adequate,' but she’d give it higher marks. Mema had the crowd crying about her story of interviewing a Black soldier who fought in WWII. She was on, definitely on.

They gave us a cake for our 35th anniversary and sang over us.

We then talked and visited until thunder clouds came up, so we moved our activities out to the farm and the place where a farmer couple is buried. I had asked for permission to place flowers at the grave site, and the farmer president and his family said yes, and several community people came. It was raining, but we all had umbrellas, and we sang, said some words, quoted some scripture, and took a lot of photos. A lot of people spoke kind thoughts toward Mema and Poppie, and about the deceased farmer and his wife.

Grandchildren, I cannot begin to speak to you of how deeply moving that experience was. To say a few words over the fallen warriors who fought the good fight for the freedom to farm the land, to place flowers at their tomb, and to be received graciously by their family and friends all speak to the generosity of people who come together for a common cause.

Afterwards, we went to the farmer couple’s house, talked, ate, drank water or cokes, and sat under the awning and laughed and told stories. I really liked Gary, the young man who’s graduated with a degree in English from ECU; PJ, the tall, tall, tall young man who’s just graduated and going to school in RI to study cryogenics; Raymond, the retired police officer who came home to Tillery, who may be related to me through our common Cherokee heritage from Orangeburg; Gary Grant, the NBFAA president; and his extended family.

So, this morning as I sit in the semi-dark at the motel in Rocky Mount, I am filled with awe, wonder, and praise. It’s a long, long way from West Texas to Tillery, NC, but the human spirit of grace and peace connects them both. In the words of John Denver, 'In the eyes of all the people, the look is much the same; the first one is the last one when you play a deadly game.' He was talking about nuclear war, but the 'deadly game' I’m talking about is racism, a game that destroys all of us, those doing it and those receiving it."

Yes, that was an amazing day with an amazing group of people. Thanks for reading these words as I've attempted to describe it.

A Great Day to Celebrate

Any day is a good day to celebrate. Today it's even more so the case. Today marks the anniversary of that amazing day, June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger stepped ashore at Galveston, Texas and declared that the slaves were free. The good news was obviously late arriving since the Emancipation Proclamation had become official January 1, 1863.

There were a lot of reasons not to tell the slaves that they were free such as one last harvest at their expense, or good news travels slowly, or the boundaries between the north and the south, or any number of other reasons, perhaps all or part true.

General Order Number 3 read this way:

"The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer."

What must that news have been like? Rejoicing, jubilation, "thank God Almighty, I'm free at last," confusion, or what?

Who stayed and worked, and under what conditions? Who took their few possessions and left?

So, out of that grand announcement came the annual celebration, "Juneteenth," with all of its rich history and tradition, festivities, and food.

So, today is a time of looking back and honoring those who have fallen in the battle for freedom and equality. It's also a time of looking forward to the day when "righteousness rules this land," and all are free, free indeed.

Here are a few sites for more information: here, here, and here.

A Familiar Prayer

Oh Lord, we come this morning knee bowed and body bent before thy throne of grace. We come this morning Lord, like empty pitchers before a full fountain, realizing that many who are better by nature than we are by practice, have passed into the great beyond and yet you have allowed us your humble servants to plod along just a few days longer here in this howling wilderness. We thank thee Lord that when we arose this morning, our bed was not a cooling board, and our sheet was not a winding shroud. We are not gathered here for form or fashion, but we come in our humble way to serve thee. We thank thee Lord that we are clothed in our right mind--Bless the sick and afflicted--those who are absent through no fault of their own. And when I have done prayed my last prayer and sung my last song, and when I'm done climbing the rough side of the mountain, when I come down to tread the steep and prickly banks of Jordan, meet me with thy rod and they staff and bear me safely over. All these things I ask in Jesus' name, world without end, Amen.

Prayer of J. G. St. Clair Drake (1940) from James Melvin Washington, Conversations with God: Two Centuries of Prayers by African Americans.

Moving but not going anywhere

Twenty-four years is a long time to live in one place. For me, that's been Abilene, Abilene Christian University, Department of Marriage and Family Therapy, our church home, the Highland Church of Christ, and our private practice group, Big Country Family Therapy Associates. According to the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes, God is the author of change, and that seasons come and seasons go.

This particular season in Abilene will come to an end mid-August. Another season of my professional life will begin September 1 when I begin work with the Chickasaw Nation. That work, curiously enough, will be similar to what we've written about, and what we've done, as reflected in these pages. I will serve as Director, Office of Strong Family Development, and I will work in conjunction with faculty from the University of Oklahoma in developing both an "idea and a location," the Family Resource Center.

While the Chickasaw Nation quietly but relentlessly pursued me, I put several "obstacles" in their way, that if the answer was otherwise, it would be "no deal." Hopefully that does not come across as arrogant, but just the statement of a man who is passionate about these matters. The first was the statement, "I want to continue advocacy efforts on behalf of the Black farmers of our country," to which my administrator replied, "Not a problem. That work is at the heart of what we do in this division."

There were others. One that cuts to the very heart of what I want to do with my life is to develop the next generation of advocates. So, how could that be done if I move away from ACU? Moving away from ACU was not an option unless the work and relationships could continue. Many ideas and possibilities are there: stay in touch with ACU/MFT students, develop similar relationships at East Central Oklahoma and Oklahoma Baptist, create connections with various departments on the OU campus, and connect with college students at the various churches in Ada and the surrounding community. Above all, figure out ways to stay connected via this blog and facebook and other means. Then, when various opportunities come up for advocacy or research, we can meet at points betwixt and between.

So, while I'm moving from Abilene, Texas to Ada, Oklahoma, the work can and will continue.

In terms of what I'll be doing in Oklahoma, it'll mean advocating for families within the Chickasaw Nation, bridging the gap between behavioral health and the medical community, writing policy and creating programs designed to strengthen individuals, couples, and families within the Nation. It'll mean collaborating with OU to create the Family Resource Center, to establish policy as to what will happen there in terms of best practices and programs that will enrich those who will in turn engage the Chickasaw community. It'll mean developing resources and hiring people who will staff regional centers that will deliver services to the people.

Transitions are torturous because there's no reason to leave the work here. These are good people, faculty, staff, and students. These folks are busy changing the world, one client hour, one family system at a time.

No, there's no reason to leave here, but there's every reason to go to Oklahoma. There I'll be able to put into practice what I've preached for several years now, that of engaging institutions of power and privilege and creating change so that the needs of the people are met, so that voices of the people can be heard, so that the Kingdom will come in both small and substantial ways.

There is much to be done: music projects, a photojournalism project, articles, books, consults with farmers entering litigation, speaking out on matters of policy, informing our readership, developing new teams, and others. The work must go on.

So, yes, I'm moving come August, but I'm not going anywhere. This work that we write about on these pages and these people are home. In the words of a dear friend, these are "my people."

New class action suit: Kimbrough, et.al., v. Schafer

Three attorneys, J. L. Chestnut, David Frantz, and Phil Fraas, have filed a class action lawsuit against the USDA on behalf of the 63,000 or so Black farmers who fall under the category of "late filers." This group of farmers were ruled ineligible for inclusion in the Pigford Consent Decree. Per the web page of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, this move is in response to the latest farm bill that includes a provision for seeking justice for those who missed the initial deadline under Pigford.

The FSC is urging caution in the face of attorneys who might promise more than they can deliver. Up front money should not be required to be a part of this effort.

The action is entitled "Kimbrough, et.al., v. Schafer," and the lead counselors are drawing attention to the limited resources allocated in the bill. Only $100,000,000 is allocated now, but there are hopes that Congress will appropriate more funds later.

Counsel is waiting for the Secretary of Agriculture to file an answer.

Reminds me of a "chance encounter," if there is such a thing, with a gentleman in a local restaurant yesterday. As we stood in line at the cash register, I commented to him, "Nice shirt." The words on the t-shirt read "Pray Until Something Happens." His comment? "It's been a hard day." I wish I'd continued the conversation. He lives in the area. I hope our paths cross again. I won't let the conversation die again. I promise.

This situation with the farm bill and the allocation for addressing grievances is one of those "pray until something happens" times. Pray and work, work and pray, until, in the words of the song, "righteousness rules this land."

Race and community

Couldn't have said it better than Larry James, so here are his precise words, lifted from his blog at www.larryjamesurbandaily.blogspot.com. Hope he's ok with the lift I've done of his words.

Whenever I address the subject of race or racial prejudice here, I brace myself. I always get negative feedback, some of which suggests that I should leave the subject alone. The assumption of many of my critics is that race and racism are no longer problems in our society.

Oh, the bliss of wishful thinking.

Last week I attended the first few minutes of a seminar dealing with property values in neighborhoods as an index for determining "livability" or more comprehensive measures of community health. The presenters were accomplished academics, people who really knew their stuff. I'm sure the seminar was brilliant and full of at least some useful insights.

But, I left after the first twenty minutes.

One of the presenters made this statement about real estate values in South Dallas, "We controlled for many factors in our comparisons between this part of Dallas and other more affluent parts of the city. We were surprised to discover that race is still a significant factor affecting property values."

Say what?

"Surprised to discover that race is still a significant factor affecting property values"--are you kidding me? Anyone who is surprised by that fact of life in the inner city has just lost the ability to command my presence for the remainder of the presentation. Thus, my early departure.

Race and racism remain powerful forces and factors in the dynamics of life, economics, opportunity, hope and justice in every inner city in the United States.

The entire ugly reality reminded me of a story I ran across recently. It seems a white preacher visited a black congregation and, during his sermon, suggested that in heaven there must be a Jim Crow partition that separated the white saints on one side from the black saints on the other. At the end of the service, one of the church's deacons led the congregation in a closing prayer that went like this:

". . .O Lord, we thank thee for the brother preacher who has spoke to us,--we thank thee for heaven,--we thank thee that we kin all go to heaven,--but as to that partition, O Lord, we thank thee that we'se a shoutin' people--we thank thee that we kin shout so hard in heaven that we will break down that partition an' spread all over heaven,--an' we thank thee that if the white fokes can't stand it, they can git out of heaven an' go to elsewhere!"

I think the deacon knew more than the academic who came to town last week. How about you?

John Ficara is at it again...."Forty Acres and A Dream"

John Ficara is at it again. Previously, he published his perspectives of the plight of the Black farmer in book and video formats.

Now, two new releases, part I and part II of what you'll see below, reveal in a more in depth fashion the struggle of the Black farmer via the stories of people you'll see him interviewing.

What to do in the face of....

Three things have come together for me of late, no, make that four.

Several weeks back, a young, well-intentioned person said to me, "You are taking these things too personally." Something to the effect that these problems have been with us for a long time and they will be with us for a long time to come. I was a bit taken back, and surely in the midst of my reply was something like, "these things do matter; racism will be with us forever, but we must never, never give up." Would like to have that sound bite back.

Then, Darryl Fears, Washington Post Staff Writer, posted online an article entitled, "USDA is Called Lax on Bias." In that article, linked here for more detail, Lisa Shames of the GAO, reported before a House subcommittee that the information about resolution of Black farmers' claims being adjudicated could not be trusted. She goes on to say, according to the article, that she is preparing a report that will come out in the fall to support her testimony.

So, in essence, she's saying that the people charged with solving the problems relative to discrimination of the black farmers are sweeping things under the proverbial rug, my words, not hers.

Then, on Sunday at our church, the gentleman charged with giving a charge to the class of high school graduates encouraged the honorees with the following:

"I want us to live fearlessly."

"I want us to live dangerously."

"This life will cost you more than you could ever hope to save, so you might as well live extravagantly."

Check out that link above to read the full text that surrounds those words.

Couldn't have said it better. That podcast needs to be heard again and again.

Then, not long ago a student commented that he's learned over the last few months how the yearning for healing, and his calling by God to be a healer, can actually take place when we're moving beyond the therapy room to consider and to engage larger institutions. It's not an "either/or, but a both/and."

That, then, is my limited way of making those dots connect. The things we write on these pages are of grave importance. I do not want to become satisfied while things still need to be done.