Black and other minority farmers are getting $2 billion from USDA after years of discrimination
Black and other minority farmers are set to receive more than $2 billion in federal aid in response to decades of discrimination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
By SUMMER BALLENTINE
Published - Aug 01, 2024, 02:29 AM ET
Last Updated - Aug 01, 2024, 02:29 AM EDT
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The Biden administration has doled out more than $2 billion in direct payments for Black and other minority farmers discriminated against by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the president announced Wednesday.
More than 23,000 farmers were approved for payments ranging from $10,000 to $500,000, according to the USDA. Another 20,000 who planned to start a farm but did not receive a USDA loan received between $3,500 and $6,000.
Most payments went to farmers in Mississippi and Alabama.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters that the aid “is not compensation for anyone’s loss or the pain endured, but it is an acknowledgment by the department.”
