National Black Farmers Association Founder and President John Boyd used to bring his mule from his Mecklenburg farm to Washington, D.C., to protest the government’s treatment of Black farmers, in the 1990s. 

Boyd and other farmers charged that the United States Department of Agriculture systematically denied loans to Black farmers. They also claimed that when loans were granted to Black farmers who subsequently fell behind on payments, the USDA was quick to foreclose on them. In case some people witnessed his actions and didn’t get the point, Boyd let everyone know the mule’s name – “40 Acres” — a reference to another failed government program that was supposed to distribute funds to formerly enslaved Black folk, but didn’t fulfill its promise. 

At the time, some may have thought the name was too on the nose, but sometimes you have to make it plain for people to understand.

What government officials might not have anticipated was that Boyd would prove to be as unyielding as the mule he led through the streets. He continued the fight that began when he formed the National Black Farmers Association in 1995 after he was denied a loan and discovered a pattern of discrimination at the USDA. 

Boyd kept fighting after the government agreed to pay $50,000 to each Black farmer participating in a class action suit that he laid the groundwork for in 1999. He didn’t give up when 85% of the eligible farmers never got paid from it. In 2008, after several appearances before Congress and discussions on Capitol Hill, the 2008 Farm Bill was passed, effectively reopening the government’s discrimination settlement with Black farmers. Last week, President Biden announced his administration has distributed over $2 billion in direct payments to Black and other minority farmers who faced discrimination by the USDA. However, Boyd’s not done fighting yet.

“It’s like putting a bandage on somebody that needs open heart surgery,” Boyd told The Associated Press. “We want our land, and I want to be very, very clear about that.”

Boyd’s story is a testament to the struggle for justice in the face of systemic oppression.

His determination, mirrored by the steadfastness of “40 Acres,” serves as a reminder of the power of making one’s voice heard, no matter how long it takes.