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| Dr. Brown |
Baton
Rouge, La - After years of waiting, black farmers began receiving payments
this week as part of a $1.2 billion settlement in their discrimination case against
federal agriculture officials.
Of the $1.2 billion, about $91
million was approved for attorney fees. About 18,000 farmers are expected to
get checks over the next few days. Many live in the South.
The case alleged that agriculture
officials denied loans and other assistance to black farmers because of their
race. This settlement marks the second round of payments for black farmers. Thousands received payments as part of
the 1999 class-action settlement. The second round, dubbed Pigford II, pays
farmers who missed the first filing deadline.
Dr. Adell Brown, Jr., Executive
Vice Chancellor and Vice Chancellor for Research, an economist by training,
sees the payments as a way to infuse money into farming. He adds that the
Southern University Ag Center worked with black farmers in Louisiana who filed
claims in the first and second cases. Brown is also reported as expressing hopes
that it is not too late for farmers to reinvest in the business, citing the decline
in the number of black farmers. Many are hopeful that the funds from the
settlement will make a difference.
For the full story, see the Daily
Advertiser online.
# # #
Contact:
Bridget
Udoh
(225)
771-5714
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