Minority Farmers Getting A Hand Clinton Offers Loans, Programs To Rectify Past Discrimination

After pledging $600 million in loans and programs aimed partly at minority farmers, President Clinton told a group of them Wednesday night he would do all he could to resolve past discrimination complaints against the Agriculture Department.

“I finally smell some justice in the air at this White House,” James Myart, a San Antonio lawyer who represents some black farmers, said after Clinton’s 2-1/2-hour meeting with farmers and several members of Congress.

Sen. Chuck Robb, D-Va., said Clinton listened closely to the two dozen farmers at the White House meeting and promised swift action to address the backlog of hundreds of complaints brought by farmers who were denied loans and other benefits.

“The president said he would do everything within his legal power and authority to resolve this situation,” Robb said. “He needs to get in and put his foot on the neck of whoever is causing this problem.”

Several of the black farmers called the meeting historic because it was the first time in anyone’s memory that a president sat down to consider he problems black farmers have endured for decades.

“Before, I felt like I was just a peasant here,” said Willie Head Jr., a farmer from Brooks County, Ga., who filed a discrimination complaint in 1992. “Now, I feel like I’m part of America.”

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said one move announced during the session was appointment of David Harris Jr. of Durham, N.C., as the department’s associate general counsel for civil rights. Glickman said Clinton’s pledge of action could help him overcome many legal obstacles blocking resolution of the complaints.

“The president has the moral authority and force that nobody else in the country has,” Glickman said.

The complaints are the subject of a federal lawsuit - which now has grown to 227 black plaintiffs - that demands $2 billion in damages from the government and seeks to represent a class of about 2,000 farm families.

A hearing is set for Friday on whether the government will agree to a mediated settlement. Agriculture Department officials say that out of nearly 1,000 unresolved complaints, less than 200 involve denial of farm loans.

Before the White House meeting, the Clinton administration said it would ask Congress in next year’s budget request for increases in several lending programs aimed at small and minority farmers. In addition, $10 million would be set aside for a program that helps train and give technical assistance to “historically under-served populations.”

The additional loans would enable 1,000 farmers to buy their land and 12,000 to operate their farms, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said. An additional $4 million a year would be provided to Indian tribes to purchase livestock feed in bad weather.

The Justice Department has been reluctant to agree to pay any damages to the black farmers, contending any payments are barred by the statute of limitations. Instead, the Justice lawyers have been pushing for other relief such as forgiveness of loans and priority for new loans, according to attorneys involved in the negotiations.

Some black farmers and members of Congress were critical of the administration’s actions, noting that the loan money is not reserved solely for minority farmers and still must pass the Republican-led Congress. They said the president’s top priority should be a speedy resolution of the discrimination complaints and cash settlements for past wrongs.