Latest news with #Singletary-Williams
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.
