$4 Billion. That’s how much the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) earmarked for Black farmers and other farmers of color.* Sound high? Low? Consider this. Over the 20th Century, Black farmers lost 90% of their land. This loss stemmed from pervasive violence, intimidation and discrimination—what we term “conspiratorial sabotage”—by private and public actors, including the federal government. A recent study valued that land loss at $326 billion. But Black farmers never saw a dime from the ARPA. After it passed, rightwing law firms (including Stephen Miller’s America First Legal) sued—arguing the law amounted to unlawful anti-white discrimination. Multiple courts enjoined the funds. Congress repealed and replaced. $326 billion. The debt remains unpaid.
*The ARPA also allocated $14 billion to eligible airlines.
#RaceClass Reqs: How the Government Helped White Americans Steal Black Farmland (Francis et al.)
