BOYDTON, VA — White Farmers are suing for Reverse Discrimination to prevent $5Billion in Emergency Relief for Black, Native American and other Farmers of Color. Civil rights leader John Boyd and KJ Skippa Mak Marley collaborated with Kara Brewer Boyd, Association of American Indian Farmers, to release a song “The Land” to highlight historical and ongoing broken promises, broken treaties, racial discrimination and land loss suffered by Native Americans and Black Farmers in the US.
John Boyd, Jr., founder and president, National Black Farmers Association, 4th generation Black farmer in Mecklenburg County, Virginia sued the US Dept of Agriculture (USDA) and received a Fact of Finding for Racial Discrimination which led to the 1st USDA Discrimination settlement by an individual. Boyd went on to assist more than 10,000 other Black and minority farmers to file discrimination complaints, lawsuits and class actions against USDA. Farming is our oldest occupation. In freedom we treasured having land to work for ourselves, our families and racial progress. “Forty acres and a mule,” was an embedded aspiration.
KJ “Skippa Mak” Marley, son of Kymani Marley, is an international hip-hop artist infusing reggae and dancehall, while invoking the unmistakable musical spirit of his legendary grandfather Bob Marley to speak Truth to Power.
“I think it’s shameful on behalf of white farmers who didn’t reach out to me to say they have any sort of issue with this—they went straight to federal court,” Boyd said.
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 program represents remedial relief for Black farmers who have had to fight USDA discrimination through the courts to get loans in the first place. “This is not ‘reparations’ as it’s been explained by white farmers, it’s not a ‘windfall,’ it’s not a new loan program,” he said.
“In 30-plus years of advocacy, I have never seen this level of racial tension in America. As I strive to encourage a new generation, time is against us. It’s been white farmers the whole time who have gotten debt relief from USDA, and all of these years it was Black and other Farmers of Color who were not getting it. That’s why I went through the courts and Congress to get remedial action. It finally passed under the covid spending bill,” Boyd said.
“I never heard them say it was harmful when they got debt relief,” said Boyd. “It’s a continuation of what Black farmers have been facing in this country, what you’re seeing going on in these courts.”
We want our land, we want our money, and we want reparations! Pay US Now!!!
“The Land” featuring John Boyd Jr. and KJ Skippa Mak Marley speaks volumes to the challenges we still face.