Latest news with #BFAA
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Yahoo
Black farmers in Georgia say they were promised settlement money and got nothing
Since 1999, the federal government paid out billions in settlement money for discrimination lawsuits filed against the United States Department of Agriculture. As of July 2024, the settlement money is gone. Some Black framers told Channel 2′s Tom Jones an organization that promised to help them get that settlement money, instead got them nothing. Tree farmer Vincent Bishop told Jones farming is a part of his DNA. The Colbert County resident used to raise cows. 'The cows, they don't want to produce any milk. Just according to how stressed they are,' Bishop said. He told Channel 2 Action News the process of applying for the discrimination lawsuit settlement money has left him stressed out as well. Bishop began paying the Memphis Tennessee organization, Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association (BFAA), on and off 23 years ago. He said he believed he would get $50,000 in settlement money. Thomas Burrell heads up the organization. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] 'At this time, we haven't gotten a dime from mister Burrell,' Bishop said. Bishop believes he was totally misled by BFAA. 'It's two things I hate. A liar and a thief,' he said. He told Jones BFAA led him to believe it would take care of all the paperwork once dues were paid. Henry County resident, Kiki Michelle Singletary-Williams, told Channel 2 Action News a similar story. 'We're determined to make sure that he does what he said he was going to do, and that is get us our funds,' Singletary-Williams said. She said BFAA promised dozens of her family members money from the settlements. She told Jones they paid dues for years, even filled out extensive paperwork with BFAA and got nothing. 'Something needs to be done because this not only appears to be a scam, I know it's a scam,' she said. Singletary-Williams filed a complaint with the Tennessee attorney general's office. Channel 2 filed an open records request and found the office is looking into similar complaints from other black farmers. One complaint stating, '...were told we would receive the $50K Settlement...' A BFAA membership form we obtained stated, 'BFAA, inc. Does not guarantee any relief or financial benefits resulting from any advocacy or legislative initiatives...' TRENDING STORIES: High school principal behind bars after deputies called to Coweta County home Metro Atlanta Whataburger employee allegedly swiped customer's card to pay probation fees Son charged with murder after woman found dead inside Cobb County home Jones went to Memphis where President Thomas Burrell vigorously defended his organization. 'They've been done wrong but it's not by BFAA,' Burrell said. He told Jones his organization has 20-thousand members and has lobbied congress and helped secure billions of dollars of settlement money through lawsuits. 'The legislation speaks volumes about our advocacy,' he said. But in this court document, from 2012, a federal judge questioned that advocacy Saying, 'The court is deeply concerned that some of the BFAA's and Mr. Burrell's conduct and representations have created a serious risk of misleading and in fact harming the interests of the very individuals on whose behalf they purport to advocate.' Burrell also denies helping anyone with the application process. He told Jones he believed the application was flawed. 'It doesn't take 40 pages to pay a person,' Burrell said. Jones also traveled to Virginia to speak with John Boyd. Boyd is a farmer whose organization, The National Black Farmers Association (NBFA), has been fighting for Black farmers for decades. Boyd thanked Jones for bringing the situation to the attention of more black farmers. He told Jones he hosted more than 60 fill out form sessions around the country. 'Did you charge people,' Jones asked. 'No. Didn't charge anybody. I never charged anybody a dime,' Boyd answered. He told Jones he worked hard to get settlements for Black farmer but as of July 2024, that money is gone. 'And then to come out here and have other black people scamming pimping taking advantage of elderly black people,' Boyd said. Vincent Bishop told Jones he eventually left BFAA and received 70,000 in settlement money on his own. He says Burrell ought to be ashamed of himself. 'I mean you taking from your own people. How can you feel comfortable to sleep at night,' Bishop said. The USDA says the discrimination financial assistance program has helped 43,000 farmers continue farming. It says it is aware of organizations collecting fees from potential applicants under false pretenses. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Complain to USDA, says head of Black farmers' group after more members voice concerns
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — More members of an advocacy group for Black farmers have turned to WREG saying they're fed up with the very organization that's supposed to be fighting on their behalf. So, NewsChannel 3 took those latest complaints to the man in charge.'USDA is the culprit here, not BFAA,' exclaimed Thomas Burrell. WREG investigates more complaints against Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association That was the message to members, at least to those who turned to WREG with their complaints about the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association. Burrell is the founder and president of the organization. WREG asked Burrell for a response to the numerous, additional complaints we've received from members. Burrell responded, 'Well, the question is, what are they complaining about, ma'am?' A more than six month long WREG investigation uncovered several complaints taken to state and federal regulators about BFAA. Members demand answers from Black farmers advocacy group Some members said they paid dues and were promised settlement money in members received denial letters from the USDA for its $2 billion Discrimination Financial Assistance Program because their applications were filed after the deadline, submitted by individuals they said were working with BFAA. 'If they're complaining about DFAP, you know what they ought to do, join us, because that's what we're doing,' Burrell told WREG. The WREG Investigators further explained to Burrell details about complaints we'd received: 'The complaint is not about the application about DFAP, the complaint is about BFAA and you misleading them regarding DFAP.' He responded, 'How much misleading is there? Are you gonna say that the surgeon general misleads people about smoking when he puts a warning on the back of a box of cigarettes.' Surrounded by members, Burrell hosted a press conference on February 5, exactly one week after the WREG Investigators aired its series of stories. Our newsroom has been flooded with phone calls and emails from even more BFAA members with complaints and questions, like Dortha Miller who says she just recently learned the application window for DFAP closed last year. 'So that really made me wonder why they still going around taking people's moneyand no one taking the applications anymore. The applications it cut off in January of 2024,and they took my money of September 2024,' said Miller. 'The money is gone. The program is not being re-extended yet and still, Mr. Burrell is convincing folks that they have a chance,' said Kiki Singletary-Williams. WREG investigates more complaints against Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association We recently shared the story of Singletary-Williams and her relatives, some who've belonged to BFAA members for two decades. 'You promised all of us $50,000, Mr. Burrell. Where is it? Some of my relatives are on up in age, they've been dependent on this,' said Singletary-Williams to WREG. After suing the USDA to expand DFAP to include heir, BFAA's attorney recently presented their case to an appeals court. Burrell also used his time at the podium during the press conference to explain his push to get President Trump involved. He told WREG, 'We're going to engage in a full, all out effort.' The WREG Investigators asked Singletary-Williams, 'Are you confident that BFAA could get a response from the Trump administration that would be beneficial to its members?' She replied, 'I'm confident on a scale of 1 to a million, zero.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
WREG investigates more complaints against Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association
MEMPHIS, Tenn — The Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association has taken a new fight for farmers to court. Last summer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture paid out $2.2 billion to Black farmers who faced discrimination from its agency in the past. However, BFAA's President Thomas Burrell said that's not nearly enough. They sued the government, saying the relief program should have included heirs. 'Now all of a sudden USDA is saying inheritance is not relevant. Inheritance is always relevant,' said Burrell. 'How can you compensate that person, on the one hand, and at the same time, mathematically, and systematically says your heir can't file the claim?' said Burrell. An attorney for BFAA went before a panel of judges to plead their case at the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, Ohio on Thursday. According to members, they are not depending on compensation from the courts but demanding answers from the organization claiming it's advocating on their behalf. Members demand answers from Black farmers advocacy group 'Mr. Burrell? How could you drop the ball? Why didn't you submit our information to the USDA?' said BFFA member Kiki Singletary-Williams. 'We were informed that we would be getting our payments in some time, September 2024 was what I was told,' said Singletary-Williams. She says many of her relatives have been members for decades, and besides submitting lots of personal information, were given the impression the only thing to do was to keep their dues up to date. 'There was a lot of emphasis on the fees. Then they're handling things,' said Singletary-WIlliams. 'They're working back and forth with the organizations, USDA, whoever, and that there's nothing else that we would need to do.' She says she has not received a dime from the organization as part of a settlement or directly from the government. Singletary-Williams has documentation of her membership dating back to 2008. Her uncle, Milton White, told the WREG Investigators he joined in the early 2000s and paid yearly dues for roughly eight people like his children and parents. 'That's a lot of money that I poured in and got no, no result at all,' said White. WREG found stories like White's at the Tennessee Attorney General's Office where Singletary-Williams and several BFFA members have filed complaints. An Alabama woman wrote, 'This organization has been collecting membership dues of $100 per year from thousands of families for years and giving them false hope of receiving a class action lawsuit compensation of $50,000.' In another complaint, that was partially handwritten, a member mentioned that same $50,000 and said 'no one' will 'pick up the phone.' A member from Texas wrote, 'Quit exploiting Black people be honest tell the truth.' The complaint also referenced 'bogus Zoom meetings'. The organization's method of communication, or what some call a lack thereof is something the WREG Investigators also heard about from other BFAA members. 'In order to talk to Mr. Burrell, we were told by the office staff that is very rude too, 'You have to follow Mr. Burrell!' You have to subscribe to his newsletters,' said Singletary-Williams. According to the organization's website, his newsletters cost 10.99 a month. Burrell said the purpose of conducting meetings via Zoom is to reach more members, which ultimately saves money, he said, rather than having to rent spaces for in-person meetings. His PR representative also said the fees collected are meant to offset costs for a technology vendor. WREG asked Burrell, about the complaints in general, 'How do you address that, how do you address those complaints?' 'I don't know any organization that's perfect, but look at what we've done,' said Burrell. Burrell says their history of helping Black farmers stands for itself. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
