Subj: USDA COALITION & MINORITY FARMERS, "FILIBUSTER FOR JUSTICE"PRESS ALERT PRESS ALERT PRESS ALERT
Contact: Lawrence Lucas www.agcoalition.org
"FILIBUSTER FOR JUSTICE"
On Tuesday, October 4, 2011, a group of peaceful law abiding American citizens, consisting of present and former U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) employees, minority farmers and advocates, will gather to "Filibuster for Justice." The event will take place in front of USDA: ""The Last Plantation," between 12th & 14th Streets SW, Jefferson Drive (on the mall side), in Washington DC. The event kicks off at 12:00 noon and goes non-stop daily.
Speakers:
John Boyd, Jr. Founder & President, Black Farmers' Association
Marsha Coleman Adebayo, Author, Founder and President, NoFear Coalition
Tanya Ward Jordan, Founder and former President, Coalition 4 Change (C4C)
Joe Gebhardt, well-known Civil Rights attorney
Other invited speakers:
Senator Chuck Grassley, IA Congressman Emmanuel Cleaver, MO
Congresswoman Maxine Waters, CA Congressman Bobby Scott
The daily demonstration is being conducted because the now Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, who was appointed by President Obama, has for more than two years refused to met with the group to discuss their more than twenty-five "civil rights issues and concerns." The USDA Coalition of Minority Employees (The Coalition) and minority farmers are requesting Secretary Vilsack to speedily and properly address the decade long racism, sexism, sexual assaults, bullying, racial epithet (hangman's nooses, use of the "N" word, the justifying of a monkey doll award to Black employees), reprisals, intimidation, hostile work environment, and other widespread abuses against USDA employees and minority farmers.
The group will ask President Obama to promptly intervene and bring this long history of widespread discrimination to an end. We want USDA top officials held "accountable," and the USDA Office of Civil Rights – administration and process – put into "receivership."
October 3, 2011,Senator Chuck Grassley sent a letter to the Coalition in support of their work for USDA employees stating, "No matter someone's race, gender, or nationality, all employees deserve to have a safe, inclusive and fair workplace. It's a shame that as some of the Department's employees carry out their functions they sometimes face discrimination and violations of their civil rights." He went on to say USDA's, "progress remains too slow."
"We will "Filibuster for Justice" until this administration brings this plantation culture at USDA to an end," said Lawrence Lucas, President of the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees.
"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
NOTE: This is not a political event, nor is it designed to target any political party or candidate.
END
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Re: USDA COALITION & MINORITY FARMERS, "FILIBUSTER FOR JUSTICE"
On Tue, Oct 4, 2011 at 9:36 AM, <LawrLCL@aol.com> wrote:
