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.

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.

What do you think?

I get those google alerts every day. Perhaps you've tried them on specific topics yourself. One of the three that I retrieve daily is on "black farmers." Google with all of its technology sends the latest and not so latest web sources on the topic.

Last week one came and it was over the edge in terms of inflammatory. The author, a reputable writer for reputable newspapers in the east, had a variety of topics related to the theme "we've paid our dues to Black people." With that theme in mind, off the author of the blog went, giving information and mis-information to his readers. Granted, it was from a post written in 2001, but it was also one re-posted to the web in March, 2008. What caught my attention was his calling the Pigford case a frivolous lawsuit. Whatever it was and is, it's not nor will it ever be frivolous. Inadequate? Yes. Misguided? Yes. In some ways a violation of constitutional law with regard to procedural matters? Yes. Did some do well in it? Yes. Did it fail some miserably? Yes.

Misinformation can be corrected. I'd like to be bold enough to say that what my students and I are writing on these pages is opinion, experiences, and facts. We've laid out various sets of data about the Pigford case and its inequities. If not here, then that information is found at a variety of other sites including http://www.ewg.org/. That, in my opinion, is the best one source of information.

What was more inflammatory was the tone of it all. "WE have paid OUR debts," so step back and get on with life. So, I'm just wondering today, "How do WE get to decide whether OUR debt is really paid back or not? Who gets to decide what a kidney or an eye or a spouse or a farm is worth to those in whose body it was found, or whose family is now shattered, or whose livelihood is now destroyed?" Those who perpetrated don't, in my opinion, get to decide when it's finished.

I think those upon whom our perpetrations landed get to make the final call as to "debt paid in full." I'm also suspicious these days that there are still closet racists amongst us. Not intending to sound more judgmental than necessary, but still, how does the end of our indebtedness come to people upon whose backs this country was built, and within the boundaries of which institutional racism continues to exist. On the other hand, I do believe we need to work in some meaningful fashion to craft a reconciliation effort that works for all.

Here's the link. I think you'll find it interesting.

Then, yesterday, while driving home from my downtown office, I was sitting at the traffic light behind a vehicle registered in a southern state. There, on the rear window, was the confederate flag. That evoked another set of emotions. Images carry with them words, thoughts, feelings, and experiences. I know people who love that flag. I know people for whom that image is one of unspeakable degradation..........

Just yesterday I was asked by a student, a well-meaning person whose heart belongs to the King of Kings, "Dr. Hinson, if you weren't working with the black farmers, would you have been offended if one of your sons dated a black woman?" Stopped me in my tracks. Made me think. Made me recall my family of origin and times of complexity for a child of the south. I hope my answer would be "the color of her skin would not matter, just the content of her character."

I'm a work in progress. Surely you are as well. All of us are works in progress.

There's much work to be done.