Volume 3, Number
10                                                                                                                                                
June 20, 2000

The Farmer

“Black Congressman put on notice”

by Dr. Ridgely A. Mu’min Muhammad

Washington, D.C.–On the eve of another protest demonstration on behalf
of the Black farmers slated for June 19th
in Washington, DC, Georgia farmers in Congressional
District 2 appealed to the national Black Farmers and
Agriculturist Association (BFAA) to
support their efforts to unseat Dem. Rep. Sanford Bishop. Eddie Slaughter
said: ”On May 8, 2000 our representative, Sanford
Bishop, voted against House Resolution 296 that would
support expediting paying the Black farmers in Pigford Vs Glickman lawsuit
If Mr. Bishop can not support us, then we can no longer
support him in his re-election campaign. In
fact, we will be working actively to get him unseated this November unless
he can show us some real action in favor of Black farmers.”
Mr. Morris James, also in Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District
added: “ There are other issues
that Mr. Bishop has disappointed his Black constituents on. Such matters
as the lack of enthusiasm in the investigation of
unexplained deaths of Black men in jails within his
district and not responding to the elderly’s pleas for assistance with
maintaining and improving their social security benefits.”
President Gary Grant speaking on behalf of the National BFAA
stated, “Support would be given to
help assist in voter registration and education on the issues.
We have representatives here from most of the BFAA
chapters and they have also told similar stories
of disappointment with their Black congressional representatives on
issues that concern them in their states. Therefore it is
time that Black elected officials understand the
time for taking Black peoples’ votes for granted is gone. We will use
the telephone, letters and emails to our ‘downline’ to
get the word out and start the ball rolling.” Eddie
Slaughter further added, “We told Al Gore in May of 1998 if they could
not pay Black farmers by the year 2000, then he can not be
president in 2000. So far we ain’t got paid.”
The next day at the rally Black farmers representing 12 states
thanked J.C. Watts and Jay Dickey
for putting forward the legislation and praised them for their promise
to re-submit the bill, H.Con.Res. 296 for another vote.
“America’s Black farmers deserve our united support,”
Watts said. “We must reject those who attempt to play politics with
their plight for purely political gain.” Watts
also noted congressional help for Black farmers, including measures
such as his Black Farmer Fairness Act (H.R. 2233), had
been bipartican until now. At the rally Dr. Ridgely
Muhammad explained the significance of the cut out poster
of a gun that he was carrying, “Which party should Black
people chose, Republicans or Democrates?
The ones with the gun in your face or the ones with the gun at
your back?” “You all need to stop playing politics
with these people’s lives”, he added. Gary
Grant, president of BFAA, stated that “There is so much emphasis put
on the “rule of law” in the controversial Elian
Gonzales case. Janet Reno and the U.S. government claim
to base all of their actions in the infamous case on “following the
rule of law.” But when it comes to Black family farmers,
rules of law are being broken all the time, and all
rules of human and legal ethics, and of common sense are ignored.”
Members of BFAA are asking that Al Pires, the lead attorney in
their suit against the USDA, be
dismissed from the case. Those and other demands will be presented
to Judge Paul Friedman at a fairness hearing to be held at
Federal District Court in DC on July 31, 2000.
Commentary: It seems that the 38 members of
the Congressional Black Caucus were proving their loyalty
to the Democratic party by shooting down legislation that would help
Black farmers just because it was introduced by
Republicans. Why is it that before one can get the
support of whites, this time those who hold the purse strings of the Democratic
Party campaign machine, one must show that he or she can
sacrifice members of their own race. Now
that H.R. Bill 296 has been defeated, can the Congressional Black Caucus
be allowed to help the Black farmers? “Massa please let
them go?” For information about attending the fairness
hearing to voice your complaints concerning the
Consent Decree contact Gary Grant at (252)826-2800 or email Tillery@aol.com.

Photo: left to right: Rep. Jay Dickey, Gary Grant, Rep. J.C.
Watts