Bishop: White House talk went well

Memphis Bishop David Allen Hall said Aug. 14 a meeting with senior White House staff members went “really well” as Hall pushes for settlement of a lawsuit on behalf of African-American farmers.

Hall, pastor of Temple Church of God in Christ, joined a delegation who met with White House staffers in an effort to get President Donald Trump’s ear on a variety of issues. The group had hoped to meet with Trump but was told the president was unavailable.

Instead, Hall said the delegation met with attorney Kevin Childs, a Trump adviser.

“They gave us a good ear and said they would pass it down the line,” Hall said. “Those were the kinds of things we were looking for.”

The delegation met with congressional leaders and other officials while in Washington as well.

Hall, who represents the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association, joined the group specifically to address farm-related topics. He pushed for the White House to accept a 2017 appeals court ruling that upheld the claims of some 15,000 black farmers and their heirs who said they were denied crop loans and other assistance based on race.

“It’s been a long struggle,” Hall said in advance of the meeting, “and it’s time to bring to closure this lawsuit. The courts and Congress have said we were discriminated against as a class, and we should be paid because of that past discrimination.”

Hall also expressed his appreciation for a $12 billion payout to farmers hurt by soybean tariffs.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue unveiled the payout plan in July as the Trump administration and Republicans seek to ease the sting of tariffs through a mix of payments, purchases and trade promotion efforts.

The plan is designed to minimize the economic pain among a key constituency of Trump and the Republican Party.

Additionally, Hall discussed during the hour-long meeting the possibility of help in establishing a Black Farmers’ Credit Union.

The message he will bring back to local farmers, Hall said, is that he is “on the case,” and that he “hopes and prays the contacts we made will have positive results.”

Other topics raised by members of the delegation included prison reform, education and legislation.