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