Capay Valley Juneteenth 2006 ~ Congressional Legislation Supports Black Farmers

Guinda, California ~ Our United States of America 230 year experiment to “create a more perfect union” is embraced as a concept called Democracy, Juneteenth is a reminder to all how far we have to go in the Golden State of California.

Capay Valley Juneteenth 2006, “Our Journey Towards Freedom” seeks to capture the imagination of the elder Black Farmers of the historical community of Guinda, California. The legacy of those early Black pioneers who endured and prospered during institutional chattel slavery in California deserve respect.

Where in the world is Capay Valley, CA and how does it relate to Black Farmers today?

Imagine for a moment the first European seamen who traveled to California in the 16th century. Black Californians are captured in the original artworks and literary journals of the major European conquistadors.

Indigenous Black inhabitants of the coastal regions of California remain deeply connected to the land.

In 1850’s California, the U.S. Land Commission made it very clear that Black landowners were a thing of the past. A 1857 U.S. Supreme Court decision stipulated that “Black people, free or enslaved, have no rights that white people are bound to respect.” The Gold Rush of California brought “equal opportunity” in the pursuit of the earths bounty. Farming while Black, was a different matter indeed.

The Declaration of Independence was read in California for the first time at the Garden Party of William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr, “Black American Founding Father of California,” July 1846. This Black Farmer and Agriculturalists owned several major properties throughout California.

Neatly tucked in the Pacific Coast Mountain Range is the town of Guinda, Capay Valley. One of the most pristine agricultural communities in our nation, Black Farmers remain connected to the land.

Black Farmers in California have faced racial discrimination for the entire history of the State of California and far too often continues today in the implementation of California Agriculture Policy.

Today, Black Farmers represent ¼ of one percent of all farmers in California and a long fought resolution of racial discrimination in the Department of Agriculture by U.S. Congress will assist Black Farmers beyond the Pigford Class Action Lawsuit. We can finally bring a greater measure of the notion of living “a more perfect union,” celebrated at Juneteenth Capay Valley, “Our Journey Towards Freedom.”

Pigford Claims Remedy Act of 2006 (Introduced in House)
HR 5575 IH
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5575
To provide a mechanism for the determination on the merits of the claims of claimants who met the class criteria in a civil action relating to racial discrimination by the Department of Agriculture but who were denied that determination.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 9, 2006
Mr. CHABOT (for himself, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. SENSENBRENNER, Mr. BACHUS, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. WATT, and Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

A BILL
To provide a mechanism for the determination on the merits of the claims of claimants who met the class criteria in a civil action relating to racial discrimination by the Department of Agriculture but who were denied that determination.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Pigford Claims Remedy Act of 2006'.
SEC. 2. DETERMINATION ON MERITS OF PIGFORD CLAIMS.
(a) In General- Any Pigford claimant who has not previously obtained a determination on the merits of a Pigford claim may, in a civil action, obtain that determination.
(b) Intent of Congress as to Remedial Nature of Section- It is the intent of Congress that this section be liberally construed so as to effectuate its remedial purpose of giving a full determination on the merits for each Pigford claim denied that determination.
(c) Definitions- In this Act--
(1) the term `Pigford claimant' means an individual who previously submitted a late-filing request under section 5(g) of the consent decree in the case of Pigford v. Glickman, approved by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on April 14, 1999; and
(2) the term `Pigford claim' means a discrimination complaint, as defined by section 1(h) of that consent decree and documented under section 5(b) of that consent decree.