USDA Colleagues,

The month of February marks Black History Month, a time when our country celebrates the generations of Black Americans whose courage, advocacy and patriotism have enriched our communities and strengthened our country. People like George Washington Carver, John W. Mitchell, Percy Lavon Julian, Henry Blair, and John W. Boyd, Jr. all had major roles in shaping our food systems and rural economies. In honoring Black trailblazers and change-makers, we gain inspiration for the work that remains to fulfill our sacred responsibility to form a more perfect union. This is a particularly poignant topic because our agricultural landscape has been shaped by a history of slavery and structural racism, and recent years have helped make a great portion of our nation aware of just how much the deck was stacked against Black people, including Black agriculturalists — from land ownership, to education, to access to funding and other resources.

 

Currently 95 percent of Black farmers are in the south, where they comprise only 6 percent of the total number of registered farmers. Over the years the Black farmer has endured discrimination with regard to race, formal education, lending practices from banks and agriculture agencies and in research and technology. The rate at which farm ownership by Black Americans is declining is a major concern. Black farmers have had an uncertain past with the denial of loans and government assistance; however, times are changing.

 

The USDA now has effective policies in place to prohibit discrimination in all programs and activities based on race, creed, or color and increase access and inclusion in programs and services. These policies are only as effective as the people who shape, implement, and enforce them. Today’s leaders continue to build on the legacies of our forebears. Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Monica Rainge, Senior Advisor for Racial Equity Dr. Dewayne Goldmon, ARS Administrator Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Forest Service Chief Randy Moore, NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer, Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity for the Food and Nutrition Service Dr. Sara Bleich, and Senior Advisor Dr. Gregory Parham, and many more are dedicated to ensuring equity of opportunity throughout our programs and services.

 

Inspired by the Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, and Executive Order on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce, we prioritize creating a culture of inclusion, advancing equity, recruiting and hiring diverse talent, supporting our employees, and leading with values. It is a responsibility that we take seriously, and one that I ask all of you to consider as you make hiring decisions, invest in the development of your workforce, or design programs and policies across the full breadth of USDA that will lift up all people and not just some. One example of our serious commitment to creating long-lasting change is the creation of the USDA Equity Commission.

 

In honor of Black History Month, we join the President and all Americans in recognizing the innumerable contributions, beautiful legacy, and bright future of Black Americans. Throughout the month, USDA will highlight on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts, black Americans, including women, veterans, and disabled Americans who are building upon the work of our Agricultural trailblazers with the help and support of USDA programs and services, as well as create learning and dialogue opportunities across our organization. Our celebration will not end on February 28, and we will continue to value and support the rich and substantive contributions of Black Americans in all our mission areas for many years to come.

 

Secretary Vilsack