Eva M. Clayton: “over the last 9 years I have come to this floor to talk about the plight of rural America. I have talked about farmers…”

“over the last 9 years I have come to this floor to talk about the plight of rural America. I have talked about farmers, including small farmers, disadvantaged farmers and minority farmers. Today, I rise again to talk about the plight of the black farmers who have suffered a saga of mistreatment, discrimination and benign neglect. I would say that both the problems, as well as their possibilities, really transcend region, transcend race. It encompasses a wide array of individuals that go beyond just black Americans but includes Hispanics, includes Asian, includes Indian Americans and women as well. This issue also affects the disabled. A wheelchair-bound white male in Michigan has felt the sting of unfair discriminatory practices on the part of the Agriculture Department and contacted the Agriculture Department, who are there to serve; and indeed, all who are involved in farming as a way of life are affected by the mistreatment and by the lost opportunities that the black farmers would have. All farmers are affected by changes and forces that have been experienced in this new world order or this new economy of the world.”