copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: “There is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century." (Cory Booker, 2021-02-09)
Evidence (2023-02-24): "This Black History Month, it’s important we recognize the unjust history of farming and agriculture in America. During the 20th Century, Black farmers lost over $300 billion worth of farmland and acreage – a loss that further exacerbated the wealth gap for Black Americans. That’s one of the many reasons why I’m proud to reintroduce the Justice for Black Farmers Act, which would enact policies to end discrimination within the USDA, protect the 50,000 remaining Black farmers from losing their land, provide land grants to create a new generation of Black farmers, and restore the land base that has been lost," said Congresswoman Adams. "Additionally, the Justice For Black Farmers Act provides substantial resources for 1890 Land-Grant Institutions to help Black farmers get up and running and includes funding for all HBCUs to expand their agriculture research and courses of study. [...] - Restore the Land Base Lost by Black Farmers: Creates a new Equitable Land Access Service within USDA to acquire farmland and provide land grants of up to 160 acres to existing and aspiring Black farmers. To help ensure their success, these new Black farmers will be provided access to USDA operating loans and mortgages on favorable terms.
Claim: “There is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century." (Cory Booker, 2021-02-09)
Evidence (2021-03-28): Black-owned farmland totals close to 4.7 million acres to date. The Justice for Black Farmers Act of 2020 formed to remedy centuries of Black land loss. This bill would enable Black producers to gain up to 160 acres apiece — at no cost — through USDA land grants. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker serves as the bill’s lead sponsor. "Overtly discriminatory and unjust federal policy has robbed Black families in the United States of the ability to build and pass on intergenerational wealth," said Senator Booker. "When it comes to farming and agriculture, we know that there is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century." The act aims to correct USDA discrimination for future Black farmers of the Black Belt and beyond.
Claim: “There is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century." (Cory Booker, 2021-02-09)
Evidence (2024-02-28): Black land loss represents a systemic blockage of Black Americans’ opportunity to build generational wealth: One estimate suggests that the total active farmland lost since 1920 has meant more than $326 billion in lost wealth for Black farmers and their families. 3 As farmland around the country continues to pass into a smaller number of hands, a trend of consolidation that began in the early 20th century, it’s unlikely that these losses can be reversed. But with policy changes and targeted outreach, the drivers of further land loss can be halted. Meanwhile, corrective measures for historic discrimination, while politically difficult, present an opportunity to keep Black-owned farms afloat and provide some compensation to families whose land was taken from them. [...] The loss of more than 13 million acres of Black farmland over the course of the 20th century has had huge reverberations for both agriculture and the descendants of Black farmers. Lost farmland represents stolen potential to build wealth. Slowing the rate of Black land loss is possible, but it requires decisive corrective action from policy makers. This means addressing the discrimination that Black farmers continue to face from agencies like the USDA, devoting resources to amending current practices and providing settlements to resolve past cases in which Black farmers were denied aid. Outreach programs should also be developed at both the local and federal level to help Black landowners avoid the pitfalls of heirs’ property. Nonprofit legal groups have already seen success in helping organize groups of heirs to make informed decisions about shared property, consolidate ownership around new titles and keep the land in the family.
Claim: “There is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century." (Cory Booker, 2021-02-09)
Evidence (2021-02-02): This post was updated 2 p.m. Feb. 3 to include this correction: An earlier version of this report misstated the connection that Lawrence Lucas, head of the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees, has to farming. Lucas grew up in a Black farm family. [...] Black farmers also say that at the USDA under Vilsack, agricultural census data was distorted to falsely show that there was a boom in the number of Black farmers. [...] "When it comes to farming and agriculture, we know that there is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century."
Claim: “There is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century." (Cory Booker, 2021-02-09)
Evidence (2021-02-20): Just a century later, however, that number had dwindled. 90 percent of the land amassed by Black farmers across the country had been lost1. According to the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Census, completed in 2017, Black farmers account for less than 7% of agricultural producers in South Carolina2. By Upstate county, that percentage varies from as little as 0.5% (Pickens3) to 6.9% (Greenwood4). [...] But more sinister factors were also at play. Discriminatory federal policies and financial lending practices are well documented. Black farmers were often denied access to USDA programs managed by locally elected boards5. [...] At the federal level, the 2018 Farm Bill contained a provision to assist heirs’ property owners get farm loans, take advantage of federal programs previously unavailable to them, and receive assistance in resolving land ownership disputes9. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina co-sponsored the heirs’ property language in the bill. Late last year, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey introduced United States Senate Bill 4929, the "Justice for Black Farmers Act of 2020," that as proposed would end discrimination within the USDA, expand upon funding for the 2018 Farm Bill’s heirs’ property programs, establish a USDA grant of up to 160 acres to existing and aspiring Black farmers, and more.
Claim: “There is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century." (Cory Booker, 2021-02-09)
Evidence (2022-11-01): For black farmers, the effect of discrimination by the USDA has been particularly devastating. In 2012, only 1.58 percent of U.S. farmers were black or African American, according to the most recent USDA Census of Agriculture.7 In 1910, this number was about 14 percent.8 As the number of black farmers shrunk, so did the size of their farms. All told, black farmers lost 80 percent of their land from 1910 to 2007. As the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights concluded in a 1982 report, this pattern of discrimination virtually eliminated black farms, dealing a serious blow to rural black communities.9
Claim: “There is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century." (Cory Booker, 2021-02-09)
Evidence (2024-05-20): Black Land Loss Today: The USDA’s Disingenuous Victory Lap [...] Given the many challenges Black farmers face today – the remaining structural racism at the USDA, the ongoing pressures of federally-funded farmland consolidation, and the remaining vulnerability of heirs’ property – Black farm loss is not set to end any time soon. The federal government – having played a key role in creating the Black farm loss crisis, will have to play an even bigger role in reversing it. This must start with passing the Justice for Black Farmers Act and a nationwide Uniform Partition of Heirs’ Property Act (UPHPA). Furthermore, the US Congress must reduce subsidies going to large farmers and provide Black farmers with restitution in the form of debt relief, compensation for lost loans and financial assistance, and land redistribution. The shattering of Black farmland ownership over the past century is yet another example in US history of those in power obstructing Black socioeconomic mobility at every turn. This great dispossession of Black farmland is ongoing, but not without resistance from Black farmers and their families, who – despite efforts by the US government, developers, violent white neighbors, and large landowners to take everything away from them – have refused to give up on their dream, an immortal dream of a people which began with the promise of "forty acres and a mule" more than 150 years ago.
Claim: “There is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century." (Cory Booker, 2021-02-09)
Evidence (2023-02-27): During the 20th century, federally funded infrastructure projects too often segregated and harmed low-income communities, especially predominantly Black neighborhoods. Construction of the federal highway system in particular cut off once thriving Black communities from resources and opportunity. [...] - Assisting Black Land Owners in Resolving Title Issues. An estimated 60% of Black-owned land in the South is heirs’ property—property that passes through inheritance without a will and that, as a result, has historically rendered owners ineligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs, including lending. In July 2021, the USDA rolled out the Heirs’ Property Relending Program, which primarily aids underserved communities, including Black Americans. The new program provides funds to assist heirs in resolving ownership and succession issues on farmland with multiple owners.
Claim: “There is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century." (Cory Booker, 2021-02-09)
Evidence (2000-05-05): The significant backlog of unresolved discrimination complaints against the USDA is an ongoing reality for black farmers, who find themselves without appropriate economic and technical assistance from the Department. Moreover, Secretary Glickman has conceded that the Department has discriminated against black farmers in the past and in recent times.[273] This treatment is illustrated in the case of Calvin Brown: Mr. Brown farmed tobacco on land in Brunswick County, Virginia, that was previously owned by his father.[274] In 1984, Charlie Featherstone, a white supervisor at the Brunswick County FmHA office allegedly required Mr. Brown to keep his loan in a restricted account that needed the FmHA's supervisor's signature for any banking withdrawals.[275] When Mr. Brown attempted to obtain his funds to rent a barn to dry his crop, Mr. Featherstone could not be located in person or by telephone.[276] The tobacco crop eventually was ruined, and Mr. Brown was later unable to obtain further loans from the FmHA office. As a result, Mr. Brown filed a discrimination complaint against the USDA in 1984. In 1998, Mr. Brown received an initial response from the Department, which indicated that its Office of Civil Rights was still processing his complaint.[277] [...] Mary Beausoleil, Black Farmers Battle USDA, The [...] Michael A. Fletcher, Judge Approves USDA Settlement of Black Farmers
Claim: “There is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century." (Cory Booker, 2021-02-09)
Evidence (2022-01-24): Nationally, Black farmers have lost more than 12 million acres of farmland over the past century, according to the Washington Post, due to biased government policies and discriminatory business practices. In 1920, there were over 925,000 Black farmers in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But by 1997, their numbers had fallen to just under 18,500. [...] Mitchell is the co-director of Texas A&M’s Real Estate and Community Development Law program and a member of the Land Loss and Reparations Project, a research team analyzing the impact of land loss on Black wealth. The group’s preliminary analysis suggests the millions of acres lost by Black landowners over the last 100 years, known as "the great dispossession," has resulted in over $300 billion lost. [...] With the continuous land loss, Mills said many Black farmers and ranchers worry about future Black farmers’ prospects.
Claim: “There is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century." (Cory Booker, 2021-02-09)
Evidence (2021-02-09): "Overtly discriminatory and unjust federal policy has robbed Black families in the United States of the ability to build and pass on intergenerational wealth," said Senator Booker. "When it comes to farming and agriculture, we know that there is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century. The Justice for Black Farmers Act will address and correct USDA discrimination and take bold steps to forgive debt and restore the land that has been lost in order to empower a new generation of Black farmers to succeed and thrive. As a new member on the Agriculture committee, I am proud to re-introduce this landmark legislation alongside my colleagues as we work to correct this historic injustice."
Claim: “There is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century." (Cory Booker, 2021-02-09)
Evidence (2021-02-09): "Overtly discriminatory and unjust federal policy has robbed Black families in the United States of the ability to build and pass on intergenerational wealth," Booker said in a Feb. 9 statement. "When it comes to farming and agriculture, we know that there is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century." [...] Is Booker correct about discriminatory USDA policies leading to land loss among Black farmers? Yes, he is, according to an expert we interviewed, along with U.S. government reports, legal settlements, statements from the agriculture secretary and scholarly research over the years. (Booker’s office provided several documents supporting his claim.) [...] Black farmers brought a class action lawsuit against the USDA in 1997, Pigford v. Glickman, alleging racial discrimination and failure to address complaints filed since 1983. Farmers also said they lost their land due to a pattern of discrimination at the USDA.
Claim: “There is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century." (Cory Booker, 2021-02-09)
Evidence (2023-01-26): WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tina Smith (D-MN), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) reintroduced the Justice for Black Farmers Act, legislation that aims to address and correct historic discrimination within federal farm assistance and lending at the U.S. Department of Agriculture that has caused Black farmers to lose millions of acres of farmland and robbed Black farmers and their families of the hundreds of billions of dollars of inter-generational wealth that land represented. Senator Booker first introduced the legislation in 2020. [...] The Justice for Black Farmers Act will enact policies to end discrimination within the USDA, protect remaining Black farmers from losing their land, provide land grants to encourage a new generation of Black farmers and restore the land base that has been lost, and implement systemic reforms to help family farmers across the United States. [...] "This legislation addresses decades of historic discrimination against Black farmers and ranchers," said Senator Blumenthal. "The USDA’s harmful practices have barred thousands of families from critical assistance and lending opportunities – leading to land loss and preventing farmers from making a meaningful living. By investing in future farmers, creating a new bank to administer grants, and investigating civil rights complaints, the Justice for Black Farmers Act will bring about critical reforms. The socially disadvantaged communities harmed by these antiquated policies deserve our support."
Claim: “There is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century." (Cory Booker, 2021-02-09)
Evidence (2024-08-01): Senator Cory Booker (NJ): "In order to address the well-documented history of discrimination over the past century by the USDA against Black farmers, I fought to include $2.2 billion in the Inflation Reduction Act to provide financial assistance to farmers who had suffered because of it," said Senator Booker. "I am pleased that today the USDA announced that this financial assistance has been disbursed to Black farmers and other farmers who were victims of USDA discrimination. This money will be a lifeline to farmers and ranchers across the country who in the past have been unfairly denied access to USDA lending and safety net programs." [...] Representative Shontel Brown (OH-11): "I applaud the work of the USDA and the Biden-Harris Administration in providing financial assistance to farmers and ranchers impacted by past discrimination. This is an important moment in the history of agriculture in America. For centuries, Black and other ethnic minority farmers and ranchers endured discrimination, including from the USDA itself. Being denied even a small loan can mean a lifetime of lost earnings or even the loss of property. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act and the commitment of this White House to racial justice, we’ve taken a step in the right direction. As a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, I will continue to fight for Black farmers and endeavor to make agriculture a field where people of all backgrounds can thrive."
Claim: “There is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century." (Cory Booker, 2021-02-09)
Evidence (2020-12-03): Black farmers who are struggling to retain their land despite racial discrimination and little assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), could find relief in a measure called The Justice for Farmers Act. [...] "When it comes to farming and agriculture, we know that there is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century," wrote the Act’s sponsor Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) in a news release. "The Justice for Black Farmers Act will work to correct this historic injustice by addressing and correcting USDA discrimination and taking bold steps to restore the land that has been lost in order to empower a new generation of Black farmers to succeed." [...] The USDA has a long history of racism against Black farmers. A June 2019 report published in The Counter, an online investigative newsroom focused on food issues, documents how the USDA seized land from Black farmers. In the past, a common USDA practice was to foreclose on farms owned by Black people who had filed discrimination complaints against the agency. The Counter details how the USDA would ignore complaints then, allow them to sit unanswered until the statutes of limitations ran out.
Claim: “There is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century." (Cory Booker, 2021-02-09)
Evidence (2021-02-12): In the past century, Black farmers have not been on a level planting field. For years, they were systematically denied crucial U.S. Department of Agriculture loans for the purchase of land, equipment, seeds and livestock – effectively forcing many out of business. [...] The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s actions "caused a loss of millions of acres of Black-owned farmland over the last century, accelerating in the past 50 years," said Booker in his keynote remarks at the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey (NOFA-NJ) Winter Conference in January. [...] "When it comes to farming and agriculture, we know that there is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century," said Booker. "The Justice for Black Farmers Act will work to correct this historic injustice by addressing and correcting USDA discrimination and taking bold steps to restore the land that has been lost in order to empower a new generation of Black farmers to succeed and thrive."
Claim: "In the Wisconsin State Assembly this session, more than 75% of GOP bills received a public hearing. Meanwhile, the GOP allowed less than 2% of Democratic bills to have a hearing." (Francesca Hong, D-Madison,, 2022-05-18)
Evidence (2022-05-18): Since becoming the minority party in the Assembly in 2011, the percentage of Democratic-authored bills that received a public hearing declined from 15.6% to 1.9% in the 2021-22 legislative session. Republicans, when in the minority, saw 39% of their bills receive public hearings in the 2009-10 legislative session. More than 70% of their bills have received hearings since taking over in the 2011-12 session.
Claim: "In the Wisconsin State Assembly this session, more than 75% of GOP bills received a public hearing. Meanwhile, the GOP allowed less than 2% of Democratic bills to have a hearing." (Francesca Hong, D-Madison,, 2022-05-18)
Evidence (2024-04-03): "Wisconsin has spoken and the message is clear: elections belong to voters, not out-of-state billionaires," Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Brian Schimming said in a statement. "Wisconsinites have turned the page on Zuckerbucks and secured our elections from dark money donors." [...] "Thanks to the efforts of Robin Vos and Republican politicians in Wisconsin’s legislature, our Constitution will now reflect the lies Donald Trump has told about his 2020 loss, lies he repeated even today on stage in Green Bay," Wisconsin Democratic Party spokesperson Joe Oslund said in a statement. Trump held a rally Tuesday in Wisconsin where he again falsely stated that he won the state in 2020. And Vos, the Republican state Assembly Speaker, launched a highly publicized review into the 2020 election, championed by Trump allies in the state, that ultimately revealed no evidence of malfeasance or wrongdoing.