The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/ land Assistance Fund
Summary
TLDRThe Federation of Southern Cooperatives, established in 1967, is a collective of Black farmers and landowners that emerged from the Civil Rights Movement. They focus on cooperative economic development, land retention, and advocacy to counteract systemic racism faced by Black farmers, particularly from the USDA. The organization has been instrumental in legal battles, leading to significant lawsuits and policy changes, including the Black Farmers' Caravan to Washington and the uniform partition of heirs' property act. The script highlights the importance of preserving Black-owned land and fostering a cooperative approach for future generations.
Takeaways
- 🚜 Farmers are often the first responders in disasters, using their resources and land to help, and there is a push for them to be formally recognized as such.
- 🤝 The Federation of Southern Cooperatives, founded in 1967, is a cooperative association of Black farmers, landowners, and cooperatives that emerged from the Civil Rights Movement.
- 🌾 The Federation focuses on cooperative economic development, land retention, and advocacy, promoting shared benefits and self-sufficiency among its members.
- ⚖️ Black farmers have historically faced systemic racism, particularly from the USDA, and community organizations like the Federation work to hold these institutions accountable.
- 🚛 The Black Farmers Caravan to Washington in 1992 highlighted discrimination in agriculture and led to the landmark class-action lawsuit Pigford vs. Glickman, which awarded over a billion dollars to Black farmers.
- ✊ The Black community often leads social justice movements, and this leadership extends to addressing agricultural discrimination, inspiring other marginalized groups to take similar actions.
- 🌱 Despite progress, Black farmers continue to face challenges similar to those from the Civil Rights era, but ongoing movements like Black Lives Matter have renewed support for their struggles.
- 🏛️ The Federation plays a key role in advocating for state and federal policies to protect Black-owned land, such as the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act, which helps reduce land loss.
- 📉 The decline in Black-owned farmland is significant; from 218,000 Black farmers owning 15 million acres in 1910 to only 18,000 farmers with just over 2 million acres by 1992.
- 🌍 The Federation's mission is to promote cooperative ownership, advocacy, and infrastructure as the cornerstones of equity, ensuring that Black landowners can protect and pass on their land.
Q & A
What is the significance of farmers in disaster response?
-Farmers have historically been the first to respond to disasters, both natural and man-made, with their lives, livelihoods, land, and agricultural products.
Why was the Federation of Southern Cooperatives founded?
-The Federation of Southern Cooperatives was founded to build communities that could own their own land and resources, ensuring a sustainable path after gaining social and political rights during the civil rights movement.
What are the three main focuses of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives?
-The Federation focuses on cooperative economic development, land retention, and advocacy.
How does a co-op differ from a single farmer operating alone?
-A co-op is a group of farmers working together to share resources and benefits, creating a collective strength and support system rather than a single farmer operating independently.
What challenges have black farmers faced in the United States?
-Black farmers have faced systemic racism, particularly from the United States Department of Agriculture, which has historically disadvantaged them.
What was the Black Farmer's Caravan to Washington about?
-The Black Farmer's Caravan to Washington was a protest to address discrimination at the USDA, involving demonstrations and events in state capitals leading to Washington DC.
What was the outcome of the lawsuit Pickford versus Glickman?
-The lawsuit Pickford versus Glickman was the largest class action lawsuit filed against the U.S. government, resulting in over a billion dollars being awarded to the black community.
How has the Black Lives Matter movement impacted the perception of black farmers?
-The Black Lives Matter movement has inspired and led to an outpouring of support for black farmers and organizations, raising awareness and advocating for change.
What role do civil rights heroes like John Lewis and CT Vivian play in the movement?
-Civil rights heroes like John Lewis and CT Vivian have laid the blueprint for making demands and achieving goals, inspiring the movement and its continued fight for justice.
What is the goal of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives in terms of land ownership?
-The Federation aims to promote advocacy for changes to save black-owned land, protect it, and ensure it can be passed along to future generations, with a focus on cooperative ownership and infrastructure.
How has the number of black farmers and their land ownership changed over the past century?
-In 1910, there were 218,000 black farmers owning about 15 million acres of land, but by the 1992 census, this had drastically reduced to only 18,000 black farmers on a little over 2 million acres of land.
Outlines
🌾 The Role of Farmers as First Responders and the Formation of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives
The paragraph discusses the pivotal role of farmers, particularly black farmers, as first responders in both natural and man-made disasters. It emphasizes the need for recognition of their contributions and the importance of supporting them. The Federation of Southern Cooperatives is introduced as an organization born out of the civil rights movement in 1967, aimed at promoting cooperative economic development, land retention, and advocacy. The founders, having gained social and political freedoms, sought to build sustainable communities through land and resource ownership. The paragraph also touches on the historical challenges faced by black farmers due to systemic racism, and the role of community-based organizations in holding institutions accountable for a fair and diverse food system. A significant event mentioned is the Black Farmer's Caravan to Washington in 1992, which led to the largest class action lawsuit against the U.S. government, resulting in over a billion dollars being allocated to the black community.
🌟 The Legacy of Civil Rights and the Ongoing Struggle for Black Farmers
This paragraph continues the narrative by highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by black farmers and the various movements aimed at addressing these issues. It expresses optimism about the potential for change, especially with the recent Black Lives Matter movement, which has shown an outpouring of support for black farmers and landowners. The paragraph pays tribute to civil rights heroes like John Lewis and CT Vivian, who laid the groundwork for making demands and achieving goals. It also discusses the future aspirations of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, which include continuing to provide services to members, advocating for policy changes, and securing resources to support black-owned land. The importance of land as a basis of wealth and the efforts to protect it are emphasized, along with the need to engage young people in the cause. The paragraph concludes by stressing the importance of cooperatives in promoting ownership, organization, and infrastructure as cornerstones of equity.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Farmers as First Responders
💡Federation of Southern Cooperatives
💡Cooperative Economic Development
💡Land Retention
💡Systemic Racism in Agriculture
💡Civil Rights Movement
💡Black Farmers' Lawsuit (Pigford v. Glickman)
💡Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act
💡Black Lives Matter Movement
💡Land as Wealth
Highlights
Farmers are often the first responders in both natural and man-made disasters, offering their lives, livelihoods, and land to help.
The Federation of Southern Cooperatives was founded in 1967 during the civil rights movement to address the economic and land needs of Black farmers.
The mission of the Federation is focused on three pillars: cooperative economic development, land retention, and advocacy.
Cooperatives help spread resources and provide a collective voice, making farmers self-sufficient while supporting their communities.
Black farmers and landowners have historically faced systemic racism, particularly from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The Federation's role includes holding the USDA accountable and ensuring equitable opportunities for Black farmers.
In 1992, the Black Farmers' Caravan to Washington D.C. highlighted discrimination at the USDA, leading to the historic Pigford v. Glickman lawsuit.
The Pigford lawsuit was the largest class-action suit against the U.S. government, resulting in over a billion dollars in settlements for Black farmers.
The success of the Black farmers' lawsuit inspired other groups, including Latino farmers and women, to file similar suits against the USDA.
Black farmers have been at the forefront of the fight for social justice, leading movements for land and agricultural equity.
The resurgence of support for Black farmers is connected to broader movements like Black Lives Matter, which has raised awareness of their struggles.
The Federation continues to provide services to its members, advocate for policy changes, and seek resources to sustain Black-owned land and cooperatives.
The Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act was a legislative response to prevent the loss of Black-owned land, passed in 17 states due to the Federation's efforts.
In 1910, there were 218,000 Black farmers owning 15 million acres of land, but by 1992, only 18,000 farmers owned just over 2 million acres, a significant decline.
The Federation aims to raise awareness among younger generations about the value of Black-owned land and encourage them to continue farming and land ownership.
Transcripts
in all disasters whether it's natural
disasters or man-made disasters
farmers have typically been the first to
respond they responded with their lives
with their livelihoods
with their farms with their land with
the products of their land
we've always considered farmers as first
responders
we just hope that there's a push for our
government and everybody else to
recognize them as such
[Applause]
[Music]
the federation of southern cooperatives
is a cooperative association of black
farmers
landowners and cooperatives all around
the south the federation
came directly out of the civil rights
movement founded 53 years ago in 1967.
1967 was an interesting time for the
federation of southern cooperatives
many of the individuals who founded the
federation
were just coming out of the civil rights
movement where
they had gained some social and
political freedoms
and of course the right to vote but what
these
leaders realized was having the social
or the political rights
without any way to sustain those rights
was not a sustainable path and so they
sought out to build
communities that would own their own
land and resources and be able to build
assets the federation is one of those
organizations that grew out of necessity
was founded by 22 cooperatives from all
around the south the purpose of the
organization the mission division have
been the same since an exception
what we focus on are three things
cooperative economic development
land retention and advocacy a co-op is a
form
of economic organization it's it's a
form of
of doing business the benefits that are
created
are shared so it's not just
one voice one farmer crying out for help
or
needing help or becoming self-sufficient
but it's about a group
working together to get resources to
spread throughout the community
black farmers and landowners have faced
a well-documented history of systemic
racism
at the hands of the united states
department of agriculture
i think the role of community-based
organizations like the federation is to
hold them accountable
and ensure that they have a level
playing field that represents a diverse
and equitable food system
our journey for social justice has
always included
protest and it allows us to
bring a social consciousness to
america
my predecessor ralph page was
a big impetus for the black farmer's
caravan to washington the caravan was
really to go
to talk about discrimination at usda in
1992
we traveled throughout the south up to
washington dc
but we had events in almost every state
capitol on the way up
when we got to washington we first
were demonstrating on the steps of the
capitol
i gave leo 50. and i
said go drive 30 40 miles outside of
washington in any direction you want
and find a pig because when we
demonstrate there i think we should have
something that symbolizes that we are
farmers and we are here in washington
we actually marched from the capitol
down to usda and they and they had
armed guards because they thought we
were going to
break into their building with our pig
like many things results are not always
seen immediately it was a year's worth
of struggle
but that caravan shared a light and
eventually led
to black farmer lawsuit pickford versus
glickman
it was the largest class action lawsuit
ever filed against the u.s government so
in that sense
it was just hugely significant more than
a billion dollars
has gone out to the black community
thanks to his lawsuit what
what was really central to understanding
is the black community was taking the
lead for justice
because there was the black farmer
lawsuit but then the
latino farmers filed a lawsuit against
the u.s department of agriculture
and women also filed suit against the
u.s department of agriculture
so the black community took the lead in
this
which is true really in most of the
justice movements in the united
states is that the black community takes
the lead and other people
follow
black farmers they've been going through
a lot in this country
and there have been various movements to
address that i'm optimistic uh that
things are starting to change and
especially with the latest movement with
this black lives matter movement
i am very inspired by the black lives
matter protest
i commend the black lives movement for
leading the change they wanted to see
for the first time i think in my
lifetime i've seen
a real like outpouring of support
for black farmers and organizations
that rally behind black farmers and
landowners
it's unfortunate that we are still
fighting some of the same battles um
and some of the challenges that they
dealt with during the civil rights
movement
but i am so grateful to
the work of our civil rights heroes
john lewis and ct vivian for just like
laying
the blueprint and really showing us how
to make demands and get what you want
accomplished
these folks were part of the civil
rights movement these folks were part of
the black cooperative movement
the land movement these folks were
honorees of the federation
reverend ct vivian the late great john
lewis
joseph lowry so all those folks who have
served the
movement and continue to serve the
movement have inspired me
looking to the future i think we want to
continue
to provide services and assistance
to our members and their cooperatives
we want to continue to advocate for
rural public policy changes
and other public policy changes that
will help our members
and we want to continue to find
resources both from the government
and from supportive individuals
that will help us go forward
before the federation started to focus
on federal legislation
we were leading state efforts to create
state laws to protect airs property
owners from
what basically amounted to legal
thievery the uniform partition of aris
property act
was drafted as an answer to decelerate
some of that land loss
and we worked with several organizations
to
write that legislation and to propose
that legislation
and it has now been passed in 17 states
the patience and persistence of the
leadership of our organization
has positioned us to be one of the lead
organizations
to promote the advocacy for changes to
save black owned land
in 1910 there were 218 000 black farmers
who owned roughly 15 million acres of
land
but before the turn of the century
according to like the 1992 census there
were only 18 000 black farmers
on a little bit over 2 million acres of
land
a lot of young people are just not aware
that this is something that is affecting
black landowners so it's really
important for us to reconnect
this is the stage that you want to
harvest tomatoes
even if we aren't heirs to land just
being able to raise awareness and
make sure that the message is amplified
that black landowners are valuable and
the land is valuable
land is the basis of all wealth the
challenge is really trying to make sure
that we protect land that we save it
that we have a vehicle for folks to
always pass their land along
and then get young folks in it how do we
really make sure there's true equity and
for us as a federation
our focus has always been on
cooperatives and cooperatives is about
ownership
it's about organizations and it's about
infrastructure
and those are the cornerstones of equity
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