The Forgotten County

Judge Paul Friedman approved what is now known as the Pigford Consent Decree, or the Pigford et al. v. Glickman Class Action Suit, in April, 1999. Glickman's Civil Rights Action Team report of 1997 and the USDA-commissioned work of the D. J. Miller & Associates in 1994 nailed the results of minority farmers mistreatment versus White farmers in a variety of areas related to the financing of the farm business including crop payments, disaster programs, loans, etc. between 1983 and 1997.

In order to gain access to the Consent Decree, farmers had to be informed. The Consent Decree designated the Poorman-Douglas Corporation as the entity responsible for notifying farmers, receiving claims, deciding the legitimacy of claims, and passing them on to the adjudicator for possible action. Per this link, a variety of strategies was designed to inform farmers: 44 commercials on BET and 18 commercials on CNN; advertisements in 27 "general circulation newspapers" and 115 newspapers in an 18-state region targeting a largely Black audience; and full page advertisements in TV Guide. There may have been more efforts of an orchestrated sort, along with word of mouth advertising, but I'm not certain at this point.

What's the point, you may be asking? Good question.

Here's the point. Chilton County is just south of Birmingham. County seat is Clanton, one of the major cities is Jemison, and it has 41,000 plus people, 694 square miles, and 6.8 square miles of water. In that county you'll find the Chilton County Black Farmers Association, Bernice Atchison, President. She'll give you lots of documentation that says it was a forgotten county in 1999 and 2000.

Forgotten by whom? Forgotten by whomever should have informed the Black farmers as to the Consent Decree. In Ms. Atchison's hands, and in my hands, are signed affidavits by local officials that assert that the county did not receive information in a timely fashion or at all. Documents come from a probate court judge and three cities. From the looks of things, the closest city that had information published was Birmingham, 54 miles to the north.

So, if a farmer does not read TV Guide or certain newspapers, and if the farmers do not watch BET and CNN at certain critical points in the schedule of things, then they did not get the information. No information was given to key personnel in the county.

Not only were a number of these farmers considered to be late filers, many of them were among the "not-notified," which makes them either "late filers or non-filers."

This is why the Consent Decree is being re-opened, hopefully, as part of the 2007 Farm Bill.

Ok, I'm scratching my head on this one. How can this happen? How did this happen?

Looks to me like the notification guidelines were inadequate. Also looks to me like the drop dead due date for applying was too inflexible. There are other inadequacies, but more on them later.

Update on the Summit

Check this link for the latest update on the schedule, speakers, etc., for the 10th Annual Black Land Loss Summit at the New Deal Tillery Resettlement Community and Historic Franklinton Center at Bricks, North Carolina.

Here are some of the speakers and where they're from:

Kansas State University: Spencer Wood, Travis Linneman, Andrea Boyles, and Zelia Wiley

Virginia School of Law: Dania Davey

Farmers: from around the area telling their stories

Tillery, NC: Gary Grant

Federation of South Cooperatives: Jerry Pennick

Abilene Christian University: Waymon Hinson

North Carolina A & T: Alton Thompson (invited)

USDA, Alternative Energies: Marcus Tillery (invited)

Wind Power, Boston: Paul Reeves

Chicago, IL: Barack Obama (invited)

Greensboro,NC: John Raye

United States Department of Agriculture: Margo M. McKay, Scott Mexic, Michael Watts, Alva Waller, John Pollock, Robert Wynn, Savi Horn, and Lloyd Wright

Former candidate of US Senate: Cynthia Brown

Pray for this event, its presenters, and its potential impact on the issue of Black land loss in our country.

Yes, there is an easier way

Technology still has its way with me, but then again, I am in my mid to late '50s, but that may not be an excuse these days.

For those of you who are interested in what current and former Social Justice Team members, along with ACU and LCU faculty members, had to say at the ACU Lectures in the Fall on the voice of God via the prophets, Jesus of Nazareth, and the community of faith relative to the things we write about on these pages, there is an easier way to access that voice file.

Try these directions: go to www.acu.edu, hit the link at the top of the page that says "iTunes u," scroll down to the bottom of the page and hit the link "Open ACU on iTunes U for all visitors." When that page pops up, hit "theological lectures," then hit "2007 lectureship classes," and then type in Wes Crawford or Waymon Hinson and you'll see the two files you can download.

Again, I hope you'll download and listen, and then tell us what you think. If you'd like the power point to that presentation, we'd be happy to send it out. Just contact me via this page and I'll send it to you.

May be of interest

Back during the ACU lectures in September, members of Social Justice Teams I, II, and III, along with ACU and LCU profs spoke on the topic "The Voice of God Speaks to Injustice:
The Prophets, Jesus of Nazareth, and The Community of Faith" in a one-afternoon forum. We attempted to weave together a complex set of threads: farming, large and small, Black and White; the plight of the Black Indians; social justice traditions; Old Testament prophets; Jesus of Nazareth; the Stone-Campbell Movement; and various arenas within which to advocate on behalf of marginalized people.

For those who are interested, that voice recording is available. Here are the links. Once you are at iTunes, then go to iTunes U, then ACU, then Ministry & Theology, and then Lectureship 2007. Once you're there, hit "artist," then look for the names "Wes Crawford" or "Waymon Hinson," and then you can download it for free.

Once you have listened to it, let us know what you think about it. If you'd like to get a copy of the power point presentation that we used that day, give us a holler on this site and we'll send it your way.

A Pastoral Prayer of Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Oh, God, our Heavenly Father, we thank thee for this golden privilege to worship thee, the only true God of the universe. We come to thee today, grateful that thou hast kept us through the long night of the past and ushered us into the challenge of the present and the bright hope of the future. We are mindful, O God, that man cannot save himself, for man is not the measure of things and humanity is not God. Bound by our chains of sins and finiteness, we know we need a Savior. We thank thee, O God, for the spiritual nature of man. We are in nature but we live above nature. Help us never to let anybody or any condition pull us so low as to cause us to hate. Give us strength to love our enemies and to do good to those who despitefully use us and persecute us. We thank thee for thy Church, founded upon thy Word, that challenges us to do more than sing and pray, but go out and work as though the very answer to our prayers depended on us and not upon thee. Then, finally, help us to realize that man was created to shine like stars and live on through eternity. Keep us, we pray, in perfect peace, help us to walk together, pray together, sing together, and live together until that day when all God's children, Black, White, Red, and Yellow will rejoice in one common band of humanity in the Kingdom of our Lord and of our God, we pray. Amen."

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

It was taken seriously

The magazine and the 'noose' story and photo were taken seriously. Editor was fired, the magazine cover was taken off the web page, and the magazine pulled, complete with apologies. Folks are making the talk-show circuit to apologize.

Check out this link for more details.

The Abilene Reporter News weighed in as well. Nice job! Check this link out as well.

People just have to be responsible for their actions. Some things just have to be taken seriously. This is not about golf. It's about life. It's about people.

Dear Presidential Candidates

January 18, 2008

Dear Presidential Candidates Clinton, Huckabee, Romney, Edwards, McCain, Obama, Thompson, Paul, and Giuliani:

Your work is undoubtedly centered today and tomorrow in South Carolina, and then to other states in days ahead. Some of us are glued to the television sets, listening to the debates and what the political pundits will have to say afterwards. We understand the seriousness of the times in which we live. We are grasping ideas of economics, global terrorism, education of our youth, and the need for change.

However, there are social and political issues you have have yet to embrace. In particular, some of us are very concerned about the cause of the African American farmer in America. We are hopeful that the 2007 Farm Bill will serve to reopen the Pigford Consent Decree. If the numbers are accurate, approximately 70,000 Black farmers were omitted from the possibility of receiving some measure of reparations. It is possible that the number will be perhaps even higher. We remain hopeful that the amendment will stay in the bill that will soon come out of committee.

We are concerned about the tidal wave of land loss among Black farmers since 1920. While small farmers are losing their land to larger farming entities, Black farmers are losing their land at a much higher rate. We believe that efforts from all levels and branches of our government need to come together alongside policy-makers within various agencies such as the USDA and the DOJ to bring about justice.

And, other than Senator Obama, we have heard nothing in the media as to where the rest of you stand on this important issue that is related to farming and to the Black farmers of our land in particular. We hope you will speak loudly in the days ahead. We are concerned about the issues you emphasize in your speeches and debates, but we think your focus can and should include these people who work the land, who are important to the production of food and fiber in our country, the people who have been historically marginalized by government policy, procedures, and actions of employees of departments of the federal government.

Given these important matters, we encourage you to do two things: 1) support the 2007 Farm Bill and the amendment to reopen the Pigford Consent Decree and 2) take up the cause of the African American farmer and help bring about hope and justice to these farmers and their families as you work on the campaign trail over the next few months.

Thank you for your consideration.

Respectfully,


Waymon R. Hinson, Ph.D. Kimberly Cherry, B.A. Rebecca Culver, B.S.


Michelle Finley, B.A. Sarah Hugman, B.A. Scott McBryde, B.A.


Heather MacLeod, B.A. Brian Wingfield, B.S.