Justice for Black Farmers

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, the history of farming and agriculture in the United States is unquestionably one-sided. Black farmers have lost over $300 million worth of farmland in the last century due to a history of widespread discrimination, which has further exacerbated the wealth gap in America.

According to the most recent Census of Agriculture, there are 3,222 Black farmers in my home State of Louisiana. Nationally, Black farmers only represent 1.4 percent of more than 3 million farmers. Since the 1920s, the number of Black farmers has dropped from nearly a million to roughly around 50,000. Today, they own just around half of a percent of our farmland.

The Justice for Black Farmers Act confronts our history and will establish a brighter future for the underserved by reforming the USDA, providing debt relief, and creating a land grant program to encourage new generations of Black farmers. This bill seeks to correct persistent injustices and restore the land base that Black farmers have lost unjustly.

Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Adams and Senator Booker for their leadership on this issue. Mass Shootings in America

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Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart, a heavy heart because our country consistently turns a cheek, turns and looks away at the violence, the mass shootings that seem to be reported every day in the news.

It is simply not enough for my colleagues to come to the floor and offer condolences and well-wishing and prayer. While all those things are wonderful, in 2023 the people deserve action.

Our young people that are visiting with us deserve to be in a classroom that is safe. Our friends who worship in churches and synagogues deserve to be able to worship in peace. People who walk their dogs or jog along the park should be able to do so without fear of a mass shooting. People should be able to go to a concert or a party and enjoy relative safety.

In this month alone: March 27, Tennessee, mass shooting; March 27, Wisconsin, mass shooting; March 26, Pennsylvania, mass shooting; March 26, Minnesota, mass shooting; March 26, Arkansas, mass shooting; March 26, Louisiana, mass shooting; March 25, Louisiana, mass shooting; March 25, New York, mass shooting; March 25, North Carolina, mass shooting; March 25, Illinois, mass shooting; March 24, Louisiana, mass shooting; March 23, Maryland, mass shooting; March 21, New Jersey, mass shooting; March 21, South Carolina, mass shooting; March 20, Wisconsin, mass shooting; March 18, Ohio, mass shooting; March 18, Illinois, mass shooting; March 18, Texas, mass shooting; March 15, Oregon, mass shooting; March 14, Alabama, mass shooting; March 13, Texas, mass shooting; March 12, Texas, mass shooting; March 11, New York, mass shooting; March 11, Washington, mass shooting; and March 10, Florida, mass shooting.

That is just this month alone. Let that sink in. At what point do we put people over profit? At what point do we challenge the gun makers to say: Listen, we are not talking about taking away your constitutional right to bear arms. We are talking about sensible gun control that will save these young people that are visiting us today, that will save these visitors that come to see their government at work.

This is not Republican or Democrat. This is about the survival of our communities. This is about the survival of our young people. This is about providing resources to make sure our communities are safe. Stop it. Stop protecting NRA and their profits and start protecting our children and their lives.

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