Every week at All Saints Church we put our faith into action. This week we are signing a letter to Secretary of Agriculture, Thomas Vilsack, in support of debt relief for socially disadvantaged farmers.

We are writing in support of debt relief for socially disadvantaged farmers. Section 1005 of the American Rescue Plan Act, stipulates that this debt relief is critical to Black, Indigenous, and other farmers and ranchers of color due to: decades of racial discrimination in USDA programs;
-the failure of the U.S. government to ensure adequate funding reached farmers of color in other relief efforts — even though billions reached White farmers; and -disproportionate COVID-19 impacts on farmers of color.

Black, Indigenous, and farmers of color continue to experience discrimination with respect to the requirements, availability, and timing of loans, as well as denial of access to USDA resources based on race. As a result, many farmers of color still struggle to access and hold on to land, making it difficult for them to continue to get fair returns on their labor and investments.

Debt relief helps small and medium farmers stay in business, keep their land and continue to feed nutritious food to communities across the country as we recover from the pandemic. I urge you to continue your support of initiatives like debt relief that call for greater equity in agriculture for Black, Indigenous, and other farmers of color.

Options to Sign:

1. Sign a letter at the Action Table Sunday morning.
2. Download a PDF copy of the letter to sign and mail.

Letter used at the Action Table. 

3. Click on this link to sign a petition on line.

If you ever need to look up your member of the U.S. House of Representatives or your U.S. Senators check here: www.house.gov and www.senate.gov .