Lee meets with black farmers group
Opportunities exist for rural and urban interests to coalesce with positive results, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee said Monday after meeting with leaders of the Memphis-based Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association.
Lee, who holds a large lead over Democratic challenger Karl Dean in polls, also said he and BFAA leadership discussed the pending federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture over alleged race-based denial of crop loans and other assistance.
“I have a background in agriculture,” said Lee, a third-generation farmer, “so I’m naturally interested in the role of agriculture in Tennessee. We talked about what partnerships are possible.”
Thomas Burrell, BFAA founder and president, elaborated.
“I grew up on a farm,” Burrell said, “so we have a kindred spirit of sorts. We hope the state would be involved in committing resources to help develop models by which a lot of inner-city youth could work with some of our farmers in rural areas to help develop their skill sets in agriculture.
“A lot of the skill sets that are necessary for construction, the transportation industry ... are also part and parcel to agriculture. Most food is processed in urban areas. So there’s a natural marriage.”
Bishop David Allen Hall, pastor of Temple Church of God in Christ and ecumenical adviser to the BFAA, said the collaboration opportunities were encouraging to him.
“When I hear things like that, lights come on with me,” Hall said.
Hall added that if Lee is elected, black farmers will know “there’s a person in the chair who is not so remote from the possibilities. We are situated in an urban area, but what we do transcends urban to rural. We have such possibilities of making connections.”
Concerning the USDA lawsuit, Lee said it was mentioned during discussions but is primarily a federal issue.
“We certainly always want to make sure that those small-business owners, including farmers, in our state ... that we do everything we can to support and strengthen and provide opportunities for their businesses to operate,” Lee said.
The lawsuit, a class-action suit on behalf of 15,000 African-American farmers and their heirs, alleges they were denied crop loans and other assistance based on race.
Hall was part of a delegation that met with senior Trump administration officials at the White House in August to urge Trump to settle the suit in light of an appellate court affirmation last fall of their claims.
The BFAA also recently endorsed Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination because he was on the appeals panel that voted to back the lawsuit.
Lee’s team noted that the campaign has released a comprehensive Roadmap for Rural Tennessee that more fully defines his plans for rural communities.
The BFAA also plans to meet with Dean, but BFAA spokeswoman Patricia Rogers said that meeting is still being organized.