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The Guardian
23-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘Disgraceful step backward': USDA ends support for Black farmers, saying it ‘sufficiently' handled discrimination
This story was originally published by Capital B, a nonprofit newsroom that centers Black voices. Lloyd Wright isn't shocked that the US Department of Agriculture is reversing a 35-year-old policy meant to help Black farmers in favor of a race-neutral approach. But the 84-year-old, who grows soybeans and vegetables in Virginia, knows his fellow Black farmers will feel the damage. Earlier this month, the agency announced that it's eliminating the term 'socially disadvantaged', which describes farmers or ranchers who had been subjected to racial, ethnic or gender discrimination. It includes Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian groups. '[The government] is going to take back the money – the little bit we were getting – and some of the outreach money will be crawled back,' Wright said. 'Because they're eliminating 'socially disadvantaged' and anything else dealing with DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion].' The department adopted the language in the 1990 Farm Bill to deliver resources to minority farmers, including through the 2501 Program – an initiative that requires the USDA to ensure that historically underserved farmers have access to grants and other resources. Now, the agency will drop the use of the term entirely and will no longer consider race or sex-based criteria in its decision-making process for programs. According to the decision, this move will ensure that USDA programs 'uphold the principles of meritocracy, fairness, and equal opportunity for all participants'. The decision also said the department has 'sufficiently' addressed its history of discrimination through litigation that has resulted in settlements, relief and reforms. USDA officials did not respond to a question about the potential impact this policy will have on programs or on farmers of color, who represent about 4% of the nation's 3.3 million producers, according to the Census of Agriculture. However, a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement that Brooke Rollins, the USDA secretary, will follow the law while putting farmers first. 'Under President Trump, USDA does not discriminate and single out individual farmers based on race, sex or political orientation. Secretary Rollins is working to reorient the department to be more effective at serving the American people and put farmers first while following the law,' the statement said. Several Democratic congressional leaders are speaking out against the change and demanding the USDA be held accountable. Shontel Brown, an Ohio Democratic representative who is a vice-ranking member on the House committee on agriculture, said this is 'Trump's resegregation agenda'. Brown said the rule isn't about fairness, but stripping the tools to help level the playing field. 'It's no secret that the department has a long history of locking out and leaving behind Black, brown, and Indigenous farmers,' Brown wrote in a statement. 'Now, this administration is taking a deliberate and disgraceful step backward on the path to attempt to right the historic wrongs. The 'socially disadvantaged' designation was a long overdue recognition of the barriers to land, credit and opportunity that farmers of color have faced for generations.' Shomari Figures, a Democratic representative of Alabama who also serves on the House committee on agriculture, said that instead of reversing this rule, the administration should compensate Black farmers impacted by the USDA's past actions. 'It's no secret that Black farmers were economically disadvantaged by the past intentional discrimination by USDA,' Figures said in a statement. 'I believe this administration should take every opportunity to … implement criteria that ensure that Black farmers are not subjected to such treatment in the future.' For Wright, a retired USDA employee who has worked with 10 presidents dating back to the 1960s, the label 'socially disadvantaged' was never a good one because it included too many groups of people. He said Black people haven't benefited from the wording as much as other people. Wright said while he doesn't believe preferential treatment should be given to a person because of race or sex, the government shouldn't deny a person resources for the same reason. 'I don't think I'm socially disadvantaged. I just happen to be Black, and they discriminated against me because I'm Black, and so I think it's time that we straighten it out,' he said. 'There are people who deserve compensation – I wouldn't call it reparations – but they deserve to be compensated for the damages done to them in the past' by state, local and federal governments, he added. Tiffany Bellfield El-Amin, founder of the Kentucky Black Farmers Association, agrees that there needs to be a new definition, because not all Black people fit into the category of being disadvantaged. However, redefining the language of the policy is crucial to ensure that Black farmers, who often receive limited resources, are adequately supported, she said. She pointed out that some Black farmers with larger operations have been able to secure loans, even though they do not face disadvantages or discrimination. Additionally, she said that in some county offices, USDA officials prioritize outreach to white farmers – specifically those they are familiar with – leaving many Black farmers to navigate the system on their own. The most prominent concern for Bellfield El-Amin was the loss of inclusivity. 'That's why we adopt new ways of doing Underground Railroad-type situations. We're gonna figure it out one way or another,' she said. 'We just don't have time to fight with definitions that may or may not help us in the long run, just exhaust us even further … and we still end up here.' The new policy comes in response to two executive orders issued earlier this year by Trump, which terminates any mandates or programs that support DEI. 'We are taking this aggressive, unprecedented action to eliminate discrimination in any form at USDA,' Rollins said in a news release. 'It is simply wrong and contrary to the fundamental principle that all persons should be treated equally.' There's also been ongoing pressure from white farmers who have demanded the administration address what they describe as reverse discrimination. Just last month, a conservative law firm sued the Trump administration on behalf of Adam Faust, a white dairy farmer from Wisconsin. Faust alleges that he has experienced discrimination in three USDA programs – Dairy Margin Coverage Program, Loan Guarantee Program, and Environmental Quality Incentives Program. He claims the programs favor women and farmers of color, offering reduced administrative fees, higher loan guarantees, and more money for conservation efforts. The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each. In 2021, the farmer successfully sued Joe Biden's administration over similar claims. Faust, along with a group of white midwestern farmers, argued that a $4bn loan forgiveness program that would have helped farmers of color was unconstitutional because it discriminated against them. This suit was filed by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, the same firm representing him in the current case. Meanwhile, Black farmers are still suing for their due. Earlier this year, the Memphis, Tennessee-based Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association brought a case to the sixth US circuit court of appeals, alleging they were ineligible to apply for the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program. The program provided assistance to 43,000 farmers – of all racial backgrounds – who experienced discrimination prior to 2021. Raphael Warnock, a Democratic senator from Georgia who serves on the Senate agriculture committee, said that he pledges his support to help Black farmers receive equitable resources. 'Instead of working to create more certainty for our nation's farmers and adopting a stable trade agenda, this administration is focused on divisive publicity stunts that will hurt our agriculture industry long-term,' Warnock said. Given the current political climate, Wright isn't sure if he should see the glass as half empty or half full, but he remains pessimistic about this administration. However, he says this is an opportunity to get some things straightened out and implement a new definition. 'In some cases, they started to broaden the social disadvantage to include the historically underserved, and if you add it up, it was about 80% of the population,' Wright said. He added: 'We're going to have plenty of time to work on [a new definition]. You're not going to be able to get anything passed [unless] we get a different Congress and president, and you're really talking about the next administration at best. By then, we ought to be able to straighten it out.'
The Guardian
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘Disgraceful step backward': USDA ends support for Black farmers, saying it ‘sufficiently' handled discrimination
This story was originally published by Capital B, a nonprofit newsroom that centers Black voices. Lloyd Wright isn't shocked that the US Department of Agriculture is reversing a 35-year-old policy meant to help Black farmers in favor of a race-neutral approach. But the 84-year-old, who grows soybeans and vegetables in Virginia, knows his fellow Black farmers will feel the damage. Earlier this month, the agency announced that it's eliminating the term 'socially disadvantaged,' which describes farmers or ranchers who had been subjected to racial, ethnic or gender discrimination. It includes Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian groups. '[The government] is going to take back the money – the little bit we were getting – and some of the outreach money will be crawled back,' Wright said. 'Because they're eliminating 'socially disadvantaged' and anything else dealing with DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion].' The department adopted the language in the 1990 Farm Bill to deliver resources to minority farmers, including through the 2501 Program – an initiative that requires the USDA to ensure that historically underserved farmers have access to grants and other resources. Now, the agency will drop the use of the term entirely and will no longer consider race or sex-based criteria in its decision-making process for programs. According to the decision, this move will ensure that USDA programs 'uphold the principles of meritocracy, fairness, and equal opportunity for all participants'. The decision also said the department has 'sufficiently' addressed its history of discrimination through litigation that has resulted in settlements, relief and reforms. USDA officials did not respond to a question about the potential impact this policy will have on programs or on farmers of color, who represent about 4% of the nation's 3.3 million producers, according to the Census of Agriculture. However, a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement that Brooke Rollins, the USDA secretary, will follow the law while putting farmers first. 'Under President Trump, USDA does not discriminate and single out individual farmers based on race, sex or political orientation. Secretary Rollins is working to reorient the department to be more effective at serving the American people and put farmers first while following the law,' the statement said. Several Democratic congressional leaders are speaking out against the change and demanding the USDA be held accountable. Shontel Brown, an Ohio Democratic representative who is a vice-ranking member on the House committee on agriculture, said this is 'Trump's resegregation agenda'. Brown said the rule isn't about fairness, but stripping the tools to help level the playing field. 'It's no secret that the department has a long history of locking out and leaving behind Black, brown, and Indigenous farmers,' Brown wrote in a statement. 'Now, this administration is taking a deliberate and disgraceful step backward on the path to attempt to right the historic wrongs. The 'socially disadvantaged' designation was a long overdue recognition of the barriers to land, credit and opportunity that farmers of color have faced for generations.' Shomari Figures, a Democratic representative of Alabama who also serves on the House committee on agriculture, said that instead of reversing this rule, the administration should compensate Black farmers impacted by the USDA's past actions. 'It's no secret that Black farmers were economically disadvantaged by the past intentional discrimination by USDA,' Figures said in a statement. 'I believe this administration should take every opportunity to … implement criteria that ensure that Black farmers are not subjected to such treatment in the future.' For Wright, a retired USDA employee who has worked with 10 presidents dating back to the 1960s, the label 'socially disadvantaged' was never a good one because it included too many groups of people. He said Black people haven't benefited from the wording as much as other people. Wright said while he doesn't believe preferential treatment should be given to a person because of race or sex, the government shouldn't deny a person resources for the same reason. 'I don't think I'm socially disadvantaged. I just happen to be Black, and they discriminated against me because I'm Black, and so I think it's time that we straighten it out,' he said. 'There are people who deserve compensation – I wouldn't call it reparations – but they deserve to be compensated for the damages done to them in the past' by state, local and federal governments, he added. Tiffany Bellfield El-Amin, founder of the Kentucky Black Farmers Association, agrees that there needs to be a new definition, because not all Black people fit into the category of being disadvantaged. However, redefining the language of the policy is crucial to ensure that Black farmers, who often receive limited resources, are adequately supported, she said. She pointed out that some Black farmers with larger operations have been able to secure loans, even though they do not face disadvantages or discrimination. Additionally, she said that in some county offices, USDA officials prioritize outreach to white farmers – specifically those they are familiar with – leaving many Black farmers to navigate the system on their own. The most prominent concern for Bellfield El-Amin was the loss of inclusivity. 'That's why we adopt new ways of doing Underground Railroad-type situations. We're gonna figure it out one way or another,' she said. 'We just don't have time to fight with definitions that may or may not help us in the long run, just exhaust us even further … and we still end up here.' The new policy comes in response to two executive orders issued earlier this year by Trump, which terminates any mandates or programs that support DEI. 'We are taking this aggressive, unprecedented action to eliminate discrimination in any form at USDA,' Brooke Rollins, secretary of agriculture, said in a news release. 'It is simply wrong and contrary to the fundamental principle that all persons should be treated equally.' There's also been ongoing pressure from white farmers who have demanded the administration address what they describe as reverse discrimination. Just last month, a conservative law firm sued the Trump administration on behalf of Adam Faust, a white dairy farmer from Wisconsin. Faust alleges that he has experienced discrimination in three USDA programs – Dairy Margin Coverage Program, Loan Guarantee Program, and Environmental Quality Incentives Program. He claims the programs favor women and farmers of color, offering reduced administrative fees, higher loan guarantees, and more money for conservation efforts. In 2021, the farmer successfully sued Joe Biden's administration over similar claims. Faust, along with a group of white midwestern farmers, argued that a $4bn loan forgiveness program that would have helped farmers of color was unconstitutional because it discriminated against them. This suit was filed by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, the same firm representing him in the current case. Meanwhile, Black farmers are still suing for their due. Earlier this year, the Memphis, Tennessee-based Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association brought a case to the sixth US circuit court of appeals, alleging they were ineligible to apply for the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program. The program provided assistance to 43,000 farmers – of all racial backgrounds – who experienced discrimination prior to 2021. Raphael Warnock, a Democratic senator from Georgia who serves on the Senate agriculture committee, said that he pledges his support to help Black farmers receive equitable resources. 'Instead of working to create more certainty for our nation's farmers and adopting a stable trade agenda, this administration is focused on divisive publicity stunts that will hurt our agriculture industry long-term,' Warnock said. Given the current political climate, Wright isn't sure if he should see the glass as half empty or half full, but he remains pessimistic about this administration. However, he says this is an opportunity to get some things straightened out and implement a new definition. 'In some cases, they started to broaden the social disadvantage to include the historically underserved, and if you add it up, it was about 80% of the population,' Wright said. He added: 'We're going to have plenty of time to work on [a new definition]. You're not going to be able to get anything passed [unless] we get a different Congress and president, and you're really talking about the next administration at best. By then, we ought to be able to straighten it out.'
Los Angeles Times
04-06-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
This national landmark had to move because of a landslide. Inside what's next for Wayfarers chapel
A year ago, one of the Los Angeles region's most beloved buildings was busy being dismantled, stone by stone, beam by beam. The Wayfarers Chapel, also informally known as the 'tree chapel' or 'glass church,' had since 1951 stood serenely on a lightly forested bluff in Rancho Palos Verdes, overlooking the waters of Abalone Cove. Designed for the nature-loving Swedenborgian Church by Lloyd Wright, the talented son of Frank Lloyd Wright, the building seemed to disappear into the redwood grove that surrounded it, thanks to its glass walls and ceiling, craggy Palos Verdes stone walls and laminated timber frame, which formed circles and squares symbolizing, among other things, the primal elements, the oneness of God and the unity of all life. No wonder it was the chosen site for 800 weddings a year. But the eerily shifting lands of the Portuguese Bend landslide — which also prompted the 2024 evacuation and loss of dozens of homes in the area — presented an existential threat to the chapel, and last May the church made the painful decision to take down what had just months before been named a national historic landmark, put its parts in storage and try to find a new home. 'We had no idea if we'd be rebuilding in one year or five,' said Katie Horak, a principal at the Los Angeles office of Architectural Resources Group, or ARG, which, with Gardena-based K.C. Restoration, led the dismantling. 'We just knew we had to save what we could.' Now a new site has been identified, although not yet secured. Over the weekend, Wayfarers Chapel's website began showcasing renderings, produced by ARG and landscape architects Agency Artifact. They showed the chapel, perched on an ocean-hugging hilltop a little more than a mile from its original location. The 4.9-acre parcel, which also houses a World War II-era bunker, is a former military installation called Battery Barnes, owned by the U.S. Coast Guard. It's a few hundred feet southwest of Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall. Rancho Palos Verdes City Manager Ara Mihranian confirmed that the city, which owns most of the land encircling the potential chapel site, was strongly supportive of Wayfarers moving to the proposed location. 'Wayfarers is one of our iconic symbols. It's been here longer than the city was incorporated. It's part of our landscape, our cultural DNA,' he said. Mihranian confirmed that the Coast Guard had begun the process of divesting the land to the city, which would then lease or sell it to the church. (Mihranian said the city would prefer to lease the land, but the church has said it would prefer to buy it, or swap it for its previous site.) The divestiture process could take a year or two, maybe more, said Mihranian, who noted that the chapel and the city recently submitted a letter to U.S. Congressman Ted Lieu, whose 36th District includes the site, to help expedite the process. 'It's not a done deal yet,' added Robert Carr, Wayfarers Chapel's administrative director. 'But we're closer than we've ever been. There's goodwill all around. We just have to make it happen.' Carr added that the site, abutting the Alta Vicente nature preserve, would be an ideal fit for the church. Geological surveys show no shifting land underneath, and in many ways it's similar to the original location. 'It's a high hilltop with a steep slope that has views a quarter mile away of the cliffs and the points and the bays,' Carr said. Horak added that it also works well from a preservation standpoint: 'It's close to the original location, shares the same coastal breeze, orientation and microclimate. That's critical for the sensitive materials we salvaged. The light, the view, even the way the wind moves across the hill — it's as if it was meant to be.' Carr said rebuilding would likely take place in stages, starting with the chapel, followed by a new bell tower, meeting hall (lost to a landslide in the 1980s), stone colonnade and facilities like a café and museum, which could be installed inside the site's former bunker, Carr said. The city and chapel have discussed a community hall that could be used for city events during the week and wedding receptions on the weekend. Fundraising, Carr said, has just started, but the chapel hopes to raise around $10 million by summer 2026 for the chapel. The group eventually wants to raise about $30 million for the entire project. Both figures, he said, could change as a design emerges. ARG and Agency Artifact created schematic designs for the chapel in its new location; the project's final design team has not been chosen. Putting the chapel back together in a way that preserves its integrity, Horak said, will be no easy task, no matter who works on it. Her team was able to save many of the building's component parts, like the wood building frame, steel window frames, stone walls and many of the roof tiles. It was also able to take a digital scan of the original building. But the glass will have to be new, as will the bell tower, which couldn't be saved (although its bells were). The chapel will need new seismic strengthening, and trees and landscaping will need to be planted along its periphery. But compared to what Horak described as the 'adrenaline-fueled' disassembly, which couldn't employ cranes or scaffolding due to the shifting earth, the process will be less stressful. 'At least we can use heavy equipment,' she said with a laugh. A museum at the new site could showcase, among many other things, Lloyd Wright's work on the chapel, Carr said. That would be a triumph for the architect, who designed important buildings in Los Angeles but never gained the recognition many think he deserved. One case in point: His astounding, X-shaped Moore House in nearby Palos Verdes Estates was unceremoniously demolished by its owners in 2012. 'Very few people can actually point to his work,' said Adrian Scott Fine, president and chief executive of the Los Angeles Conservancy. As for the chapel's design, he said: 'There's nothing else like it. This is a place that people would go to almost like a pilgrimage.' Rev. James Lawrence, president of the Swedenborgian Church of North America, added that the crystalline Wayfarers had become the church's most prominent symbol. Several cities around the country, he said, had offered to house the reconstruction. 'We had a national cathedral in Washington, but Wayfarers became the national cathedral psychologically. There's something aesthetic and symbolic and powerful about the chapel that has made it such a well-known place around the planet.'
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Wayfarers Chapel to rebuild at new location in Rancho Palos Verdes
The Brief Wayfarers Chapel plans to be built at a new location just one mile west. The new location will sit on the Battery Barnes military site. The chapel closed in February 2024 due to accelerated land movement. LOS ANGELES - LA's iconic Wayfarers Chapel, located in Rancho Palos Verdes, might be rebuilt at a completely new location. The backstory The chapel closed in February 2024 due to 'accelerated land movement.' Large cracks were present on the foundation throughout the chapel, making it unstable. The74-year-old chapel wascompletely disassembled by July 2024. What we know As they look forward to rebuilding, organizers said the existing location is no longer ideal. According to Wayfarers Chapel's website, they plan to rebuild the new chapel only one mile west of the current location. The new location will sit on the Battery Barnes military site. On their website, they released four artistic renderings that show the chapel on the new Battery Barnes site, on the Alta Vicente hilltop above Point Vicente Lighthouse and the Golden Cove shopping center. What they're saying "With the original Chapel carefully disassembled and stored, we are now ready to rebuild the Chapel as soon as we can secure the prospective new site and raise rebuilding funds. Following the closure of the chapel in February 2024 and with disassembly completed in July 2024, we have determined that rebuilding on the previous (heritage) site is not possible for the future of Wayfarers Chapel. The new proposed location sits adjacent to Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall on the Battery Barnes military site," their website read. It's unclear when construction will start or when the new chapel will reopen. The Instagramable glass chapel is a popular wedding venue in LA. The 100-seat, glass chapel opened in 1951 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2023. The famed Mid-century Modern structure with glass walls was designed by Lloyd Wright, the son of Frank Lloyd Wright. The Source Information for this story came from the Wayfarers Chapel website.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wayfarers Chapel may have new home at unused military site
Southern California's iconic glass chapel may have found a new home in Rancho Palos Verdes. The famed Wayfarers Chapel was closed indefinitely last year due to unprecedented shifting of the ground below it. The church's leadership team made the decision to disassemble the beloved California landmark and wedding venue and reassemble it in another location. This week, church officials announced that they may have found the chapel's new grounds. According to the church's website, a new proposed location has been identified at Battery Barnes, a former munitions storage facility for the U.S. Coast Guard, adjacent to Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall. The four-acre property overlooking the Pacific Ocean was utilized during World War II and remains under Coast Guard jurisdiction. But city officials say the property has been unused for several years and the only structure on the land is vacant. The glass chapel, which was designated a Historic National Landmark in 2023, could be rebuilt on the hilltop above Point Vicente Lighthouse, a still active navigational landmark that is also the property of the Coast Guard. While the site has been tabbed as the future home to Wayfarers Chapel, and renderings have been made to show what the new campus may look like, church officials still need to procure the space and raise enough funds to reassemble the church and rebuild the surrounding infrastructure. The popular wedding chapel, which was designed by famed architect Lloyd Wright (son of Frank Lloyd Wright) in the 1940s, previously stood among a crowd of trees that overlooked Abalone Cove, an area of the California coast that has experienced an ongoing, slow-moving 'geologic hazard.' Its campus in Rancho Palos Verdes had survived landslides and erosion for years, but those conditions have worsened since 2024, with homes swallowed by shifting hillsides and once-straight roads turned into winding, sloping slaloms. The chapel has hosted thousands of weddings, including celebrity nuptials, since it opened in 1951. It was closed to the public in February 2024, in hopes that the shifting of land would eventually slow down. But the ground continued to move as much as seven inches per week, officials said at the time. The chapel was fully disassembled in July 2024, and carefully placed into dedicated storage space. Dan Burchett, the chapel's executive director, said last year that rebuild efforts could cost as much as $20 million. It's unclear if those estimates have changed in 2025. If the church is able to secure the site and rebuild at the old military property, the new campus would feature a museum, a visitor's center and 'tranquil gardens,' the church website says. If leaders secure the money, the site will be rebuilt with a visitor's center, a museum, a cafe and gardens, according to the website, and guests will be treated to the same sweeping ocean views. For additional information about the proposed site, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
