Pigford Project Interviewee
“They’re doing [the same thing] with discrimination payments now. You don’t try to correct something, and the people that did it – you put them back in there – They’re gonna get vindictive. They don’t like the idea they got caught.”
“They have to do something about that debt…”
A major provision of the Pigford settlement was debt relief for eligible claimants who still held debt from the USDA. While it was a core part of the settlement, only 2.7% of successful claimants had loans forgiven.
Debt and access to capital at fair rates was and continues to be a problem for Black farmers. This brief explores the debt relief portion of the settlement agreement, as well as modern efforts to relieve Black farmers’ debt, and how the failure to address the credit crisis is affecting Black farmers.
Pigford Project Interviewee
“And with [the next generation], I believe that there will be a bountiful harvest... And that although we have some problems that may affect those in the nearest future, which is on climate change and erosion… I believe that them coming in, they will adopt new technologies, and try to meet the rising demand for more food of higher quality for people and also see how to produce and fortify crops that will help people.”
Tending Repair
The Pigford cases are often used as an example of reparations by both supporters and detractors of the movement for reparations. However, the reality of what the cases achieved for Black farmers is more complicated.
In this report, we explore the successes and shortcomings of the Pigford cases from the viewpoint of our interviewees, as well as what they see as a just future in farming.