The Greene County Democrat

Category: Agriculture

  • Public Notices

    The City of Boligee is applying to the Alabama Department of Transportation for a federal capital funding award under Section 5310 of the Federal Transit Act. This funding is for capital assistance to help meet the transportation needs of seniors and individuals with disabilities in Greene County, Alabama. A public hearing will be held on June 12th at noon in the cafeteria at the  Boligee Town Center at 17404 Co Rd 20, Boligee, Alabama for public comments.

    Contact Information: Mayor Hattie Samuels, City of Boligee, 205 336 8531, boligeemayor@yahoo.com

  • Newswire: How To Care For The Environment Beyond Earth Day

    Newswire: How To Care For The Environment Beyond Earth Day

    black woman in agriculture

    by Ahsan Washington, Black Enterprise

    Annually, Earth Day brings significant awareness around environmental sustainability. However, specialists stress that true environmental change requires more than a yearly call to action, it calls for a shift in mindset and continuous daily practices. 

    Protecting the planet demands ongoing work from individual and community participation, and policy impact across various social levels. A great way to kickstart environmental change is understanding how environmental responsibility extends beyond one day. 

    Reduce Waste and Embrace Reusability

    Adopt reusable practices and reduce waste to decrease your environmental footprint. Use reusable items consistently across your home, workplace, and shopping activities. Implement the “reduce, reuse, recycle” model to conserve natural resources and decrease landfill waste and pollution.

    Cut Energy Consumption at Home and Work

    Reducing environmental damage through energy conservation depends on homeowners, renters, and employees. Regular actions, such as disconnecting unused electronics and using energy-efficient appliances, are essential. Properly managing heating and cooling systems in both residential and professional settings also reduces unnecessary electricity consumption.

    The primary objective is to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and reduce pressure on energy infrastructure to fight climate change. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, building energy efficiency improvements represent the quickest and most economical method to decrease emissions.

    Rethink Transportation and The Impact on the Environment

    The public must change travel habits by choosing public transit, biking, walking or carpooling instead of using single-occupancy vehicles for daily commutes. Transportation produces a large portion of greenhouse gas emissions, and vehicle emissions dominate urban and suburban areas. The U.S. Department of Transportation states that cutting vehicle miles traveled produces immediate benefits for air quality.

    Support Sustainable Consumption and Local Economies

    Environmental health depends on consumers supporting sustainability by choosing eco-friendly products and local goods with minimal packaging. These behaviors should be regular habits rather than seasonal choices. As demand for sustainable products grows, companies are pressured to transform production methods and decrease their environmental impact. The Natural Resources Defense Council states that intentional consumer behavior creates systemic transformations in manufacturing and supply chains.

    Engage in Community and Environmental Education

    Community members, educators, and local leaders are encouraged to participate in environmental education programs, including annual cleanups, workshops, and public discussions. These activities occur in neighborhood spaces, schools, and digital platforms to educate the public about pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss. This engagement is vital because it expands individual contributions through shared responsibility and informed decision-making.

    Advocate for Systemic and Policy Change

    Voters, activists, and organizations are pushing for environmental policies that tackle major problems through emissions regulations, conservation programs, and corporate responsibility initiatives at all levels of government. Citizens can engage in advocacy during elections, legislative sessions, and public comment periods to affect policy decisions.

    Build Long-Term Habits Beyond Earth Day

    People and organizations should move beyond single-event participation in Earth Day activities. Instead, they should adopt permanent environmental habits, such as composting, water conservation, and food waste reduction. These behaviors must become part of regular routines in residential, workplace, and community settings. While single-day initiatives produce minimal results, ongoing actions produce tangible and permanent environmental benefits.

  • Newswire: Black Farmers Aren’t Waiting on Washington to Save Them

    Newswire: Black Farmers Aren’t Waiting on Washington to Save Them

    Above, Eloris Speight, former director of Alcorn’s National Policy Research Center, sits with young farmers-in-training at the conference. (Courtesy of the National Policy Research Center)

    by Aaliyah Wright, Capital B News

    SHANNON, Mississippi — What seemed like almost an empty building on a recent Saturday morning quickly filled with dozens of Black people — from retired federal employees to university officials and even education and land appraisal experts.

    They greeted one another while signing in at the Saving Rural America Small Farmers Conference. Some hugged before grabbing breakfast. Others stopped by Alcorn State University’s table, where a live broadcast took place.

    One thing all the participants and speakers had in common: They were farmers, ranchers, or worked directly with producers. Some were local to the area, located about 10 miles south of Tupelo and about 2 hours from the state capital of Jackson. Others said they drove at least three hours. Many attend the half-day conference every year, hosted by the Mississippi Minority Farmers Alliance and Coalition of Farmers.

    By 8:30 a.m., they’d all taken their seats.

    In a hyper-political climate where resources and support to help farmers have dwindled, this group didn’t focus on the challenges brought on by the Trump administration’s policies and changes to federal programs. Instead, they gathered to talk about how this moment is an opportunity to inspire the youth and build partnerships together. And they aren’t the only ones. 

    Across rural America, Black producers in agriculture shared concerns about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s continuing efforts to eliminate grants, but they’re not exhausting their energy on navigating such challenges. From Georgia to New York and even in Kentucky, farmers are inviting their own to lead conversations, workshops, and spend time in their communities. In June, the Texas International Ranchers and Farmers will host a three-day convening for farmers and students in rural Nacogdoches.

    When Tiffany Bellfield El-Amin started planning for her organization’s conference, the news hit that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits would be delayed. Some funders could no longer support the Kentucky Black Farmers Association, the organization she founded. They realized they couldn’t really rely on the government as they once did. After conversations with farmers, they exclaimed, “We got us,” which birthed the theme for this year’s conference focusing on culture, connection, and collective power. 

    “The funding that we usually received was in partnership with Kentucky State University, and we realized that because of their federal funding, they wouldn’t be able to fund it, either. So ‘We got us’ got even deeper,” Bellfield El-Amin said. “[We said], ‘We’ll figure it out.’ Everybody can bring a dish. We can do this family reunion style.”

    The importance of cultivating a space of collective care, addressing farmer’s needs, and knowing where the resources are is critical, she added. Some participants refused stipends. Others showed up, even though their employers couldn’t pay for them to come. Students attended, too, and got to experience the farms.

    “Food was sourced locally from our Black farmer members. We had Black bourbon, Black wine and spirits. We had steppers come in from Louisville, Kentucky. We had people camp out at the farm,” Bellfield El-Amin said. “It felt like the best family reunion, like I was with all my cousins, and we’re trying to figure out how we’re going to maintain and sustain ourselves and our communities.”

    Many panelists at the Shannon convening shared resources to help farmers and reemphasized their commitment to farming. As Carolyn Jones, director of the Mississippi Minority Farmers Alliance, put it, it’s time to cut the noise and “surround ourselves with positivity.”

    Experts like Eloris Speight, former director of the National Policy Research Center at Alcorn State, shared information about farm business protection programs. Mississippi State University professor Kevin Kim provided an overview of projected market conditions, and Walter Jackson, an agronomy consultant and cattle rancher, told the audience about a regenerative agriculture initiative. There were also sessions led by local pastors on religion and the community and a panel on health and wellness, while other panelists brought awareness of potential business opportunities. 

    Take Malone Buchanan, for instance. He’s a retired forester who owns a pine timber company. He emphasized the importance of timber and how others can take advantage of foresting operations.

    “Whatever county you’re in, you need to know who the movers are, who the shakers are, and you need to know where the money comes from,” Buchanan said. “I would like to grow my business with some new younger people.

    The power of the next generation of farmers

    Kameka Cole-Gray emphasized the importance of youth in agriculture. Cole-Gray works as the 1890 National Scholars Program’s USDA program liaison for Alcorn State and Southern University. She celebrated the students who she works with, including Gary McGhee, an agriculture economics major at Alcorn State. 

    McGhee doesn’t come from a farming family, but he became interested in the agriculture industry when a mentor allowed him to tour farms and learn about the business side of farming — from selling crops and livestock to owning land, he said. It pushed him to secure an internship with the USDA.

    “Hearing different people’s different perspectives on agriculture means a lot to me, so I can learn more and gain as much knowledge as possible and hopefully be my own professional in the ag field,” he said. “Hopefully I get my own farm one day.”

    The current climate and the reality of a declining Black farmer population hasn’t deterred McGhee from entering the profession, he said. If anything, it’s encouraged him to get his friends involved.

    “It’s a lot of older Black farmers and not enough young farmers, and I think that comes from not enough exposure,” he added. “I got a lot of friends that don’t know about agriculture, but now they see me doing it and they want to know more about it.” 

    In the room, on this day, everyone had everything they needed to be successful, John Jones, a retired conservationist and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service employee, told the group.

    “I just want you all to keep the faith, keep hope alive, because they can’t take it away from us,” he said. “We have nothing to fear.” 

  • Newswire : Reverend William Barber says Medicaid Cuts are “Retrogression”

    Rev. William Barber

    By April Ryan, NNPA White House Correspondent


    “Put a face on the deadliness of this big, bad, deadly, ugly bill.” That is what Reverend William Barber says as he conducts Moral Mondays in 11 Southern states today. He is laser-focused on 11 local U.S. Senate offices in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, West Virginia, and Tennessee. In these states, Barbers says 1.5 million people are expected to lose their healthcare due to federal funding cuts to Medicaid.
    Barber lamented that only one U.S. Senator, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, voted against the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” On July 1st, Tillis broke ranks with most Senate Republicans on the healthcare cuts. Tillis understands that federal cuts to Medicaid funding would hurt his constituents. Three days later, on July 4th, President Donald Trump signed the bill into law, which cuts 17 million people from Medicaid health insurance in this country, over the coming decade.
    Barber, leading the protest in Memphis, Tennessee, says, “The highest number of people who will lose Medicaid are in the South.” He emphasizes these massive cuts to Medicaid do not discriminate; however, “the highest percentage of Black people being kicked off of Medicaid is in the South.”
    Barber, who is also looking at the economics of these cuts, says, “40% of the South are poor now and low wage,” and that will further exacerbate the poverty numbers in this nation. These 11 marches will consist of a contingent of clergy and impacted people expected to march with caskets housing the number of people in that state who were negatively affected by the newly passed “One Big Beautiful” law.
    The list of Medicaid losses according to Rev. Barber, are North Carolina 307,000, Texas 300,000, Louisiana 291,000 , Arkansas 123,000, and Alabama 42,000.

    Moral Mondays will resume in the nation’s capital in August, according to Reverend Barber, who also says there will be a continued focus on these healthcare cuts and cuts to SNAP in the South.

  • Eddie Ayers family honored at conference

    FSC/LAF holds 3rd Annual Women in Agriculture Conference

    Shown above are Eddie Ayers’ family members honored on his behalf, Mr. Ayers’ daughter, Una Johnson, Gallion, AL; grandchildren Michael and Yanna, children of Mr. Ayers’ daughter Janella Jones of Jonesboro, GA.

    The Federation of Southern Cooperatives, Land Assistance Fund (FSC/LAF) held its 3rd Annual Women in Agriculture Conference, Friday, April 4, 2025 at the New Generation Church Fellowship Hall in Eutaw, AL. The program was organized under the leadership of Ms. Audrey Haskins, FSC/LAF Research and Training Center staff. Ms. Brenda Goree served as facilitator.
    Under the Conference’s theme: The Lady, The Land, The Legacy, the program featured several presentations including Female Empowerment Message by Portia Shepard of Black Women Rising; New and Beginning Farmers by Decetti Taylor, State FSA NIFA Coordinator; National Women in Ag by Cheryl Bell, of Alabama Women in Ag Chapter.
    The Women’s Health Panel included presentations on Women’s Physical Health by Catherine Shelton of UAB; Women’s Mental Health by Lashaunda Lark Darien of Lock & Key Wellness and Therapeutic Health by Briana Hubbard-Bell.
    Dr. Carol P. Zippert, a founder of FSC, was the keynote speaker focusing on a current project of the Federation’s Memorial Legacy Committee (MLC). She explained that the goal of the MLC project is to honor and memorialize the individual and groups that created, built and sustained the Federation since its birth in 1967. Several edifices will be constructed on the grounds of the FSC/LAF Research and Training Center in Epes (Sumter County), AL. The edifices, including a memorial wall, orchards, gardens, trails, cabins, gazebos, benches, etc. will be dedicated to individuals and groups that helped form the FSC/LAF.
    Special presentations by Ms. Audrey Haskins and Ms. Ethel Giles, FSC/LAF staff were made to the family of Mr. Eddie Ayers, who contributed significant work to the Federation. He served on the Board of Directors representing Alabama cooperatives. He is also famous for founding and growing the Demopolis Federal Credit Union in 1966.

  • Newswire : Trump slaps highest tariff yet on small southern African nation of Lesotho

    By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent

     

    President Donald Trump has announced sweeping new tariffs on dozens of nations, including a record-setting 50% reciprocal tariff on the tiny southern African mountain kingdom of Lesotho — the highest levy imposed on any sovereign country by the United States.
    Trump’s move targets at least 60 countries with duties starting at 10%, with Lesotho and other African nations bearing some of the heaviest hits. The White House said the tariffs are aimed at addressing what it described as long-standing trade imbalances that hurt American manufacturers. In the case of Lesotho, the administration cited a 99% tariff on U.S. goods and a $264 million trade surplus in the kingdom’s favor as justification for the steep penalty. Lesotho, which exports diamonds and apparel to the U.S., imported only $8 million in American goods in 2022, according to the Tralac Trade Law Centre in South Africa.
    The U.S. government’s action also appears to signal the impending death of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a landmark trade deal from the Clinton administration that allowed duty-free access to the U.S. market for many African exports. The pact will expire in September, but trade experts say the tariffs effectively end AGOA months ahead of schedule. “The reciprocal trade announcement policy will pull the AGOA rug from under our feet,” said Adrian Saville, an economist and professor at South Africa’s Gordon Institute of Business Science. “That will be gone. It will replace AGOA; you don’t have to wait for September.”
    Other African nations are also reeling. Madagascar faces a 47% tariff, Mauritius 40%, Botswana 37%, and South Africa — the continent’s largest exporter to the U.S. — 30%. For several of these countries, the tariffs could not come at a worse time as they struggle with severe poverty, natural disasters, or public health crises. Lesotho, for example, has one of the world’s highest HIV/AIDS infection rates and relies on South Africa for 85% of its imports.
    “African countries are being penalized for having trade surpluses, some of them achieved by pursuing export-driven development policies, as advised by the U.S.,” Bloomberg Africa economist Yvonne Mhango wrote. “Lesotho exports apparel to the U.S., a product that until recently enjoyed duty-free access and helped create jobs for the youth that migrates in large numbers to neighboring South Africa.
    One of Trump’s arguments for these tariffs is to bring back manufacturing jobs to the U.S. Slapping high tariffs on Africa is not going to help this narrative.” Lesotho now joins Saint Pierre and Miquelon — a French archipelago off the coast of Canada — as the only other territory to face a 50% reciprocal tariff from the Trump administration. While acknowledging the setback, the South African presidency said the tariffs make it even more important to reach a new agreement with the U.S. “The tariffs affirm the urgency to negotiate a new bilateral and mutually beneficial trade agreement with the U.S., as an essential step to secure long-term trade certainty,” the South African government said in a statement.

  • With support from USDA, Southern Farmers Financial Association launches to help farmers access capital to begin and grow small farming operations

    Participants in SFFI Press Conference
    Front Row: L to R:  Farmer, Ben Burkett,  Farmer, Calvin King, Cornelius Blanding, Shirley Sherrod, Dr. Dewayne Goldman (USDA), Cornelius Keys, Zack Duchenaux(USDA). 

    ATLANTA, Ga., Oct. 31, 2024 – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and partners announced the launch of the Southern Farmers Financial Association (SFFA), a new cooperatively-owned institution created to increase access to capital for its member-owners to begin farming or strengthen existing small farming operations and agriculture-based businesses in high poverty areas in the Southeast.

    The organization is supported with $20 million in initial funding from President Biden and Vice President Harris’s Inflation Reduction Act, which will be used to leverage private sector capital, recruit full-time staff, and begin outreach and lending efforts. The proposed service area of the SFFA is 12 states I the Southeast.

    The impetus for the creation of this new small farm financial institution grew out of a discussion on the use of the ‘ ci pres’ funds, remaining unused funds in the Pigford II Black Farmers Discrimination lawsuit. There is still $8 million left in these funds, which are subject to the decision of Judge Friedman, Federal District Judge who presided over this case.

    A committee of Black and small farmer advocates continued pushing to use these and other funds to create a financial institution responsive to small and Black farmers. This committee was headed by Cornelius Blanding, current Executive Director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund. Calvin King, President of the Arkansas Land and Farm Development Corporation and Shirley Sherrod, leader of New Communities and the Southwest Georgia Project, worked with Cornelius to develop this new financial institution for small and Back farmers.

    The Southern Farmers Financial Association will be managed by Cornelius Blanding, acting chief executive officer; Shirley Sherrod, acting secretary; and Calvin King, acting treasurer, until a board is formed, and initial hires are made. Each of these individuals brings lifelong expertise and personal experience with farming, farm finance, and helping rural, smallholder farmers maintain farm operations in the face of challenging financial situations.

    “The launch of the Southern Farmers Financial Association furthers the Biden-Harris USDA’s vision to keep farmers farming, support rural economies by making it viable for small farms to stay in operation, and make USDA’s programs more accessible and inclusive for everyone who wants to participate in agriculture,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “This new organization will provide a vital bridge to those who may benefit from a different model of outreach, support, and farm lending.”

    Farming is a capital-intensive business. It can be difficult to begin or stay in farming without the financial foundation that comes with generational farm operations, and smaller farms are especially vulnerable to the financial blows that come with natural disasters, lost markets, or other sudden impacts. Under a cooperative agreement with USDA, the SFFA will improve land access by creating access to capital and technical assistance for farmers and other producers who have historically faced challenges getting the financing they need so their farms can grow and thrive.

    On Thursday in Atlanta, at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, USDA representatives and SFFA interim leadership gathered with stakeholders and farmers who would potentially receive funding from their new financial institution.

    Zach Ducheneaux, Administrator of USDA’s Farm Service Agency, who has spearheaded many changes at USDA to improve the farm lending process, applauded the organization’s launch. “As a child of the 1980’s farm crisis, I have seen firsthand the challenges farmers can have accessing capital, and the very difficult impacts that creates for individuals, families, and communities that stand to benefit from strong farming operations. I am excited to see these partners come together and reach farmers in a way that USDA recognizes we may not be able to.”

    “Every farmer needs affordable financing. Farmers must have reliable and consistent access to capital to be successful,” said USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Dr. Basil Gooden. “For too long, access to capital has been out of reach for small farmers in the southeast region.”

    Support from the USDA will help bring other partners to the table so that SFFA can obtain strategic certifications and raise additional sources of capital. Examples include working with organizations like the Farm Credit system and Co-Bank to obtain Other Financial Institution (OFI) status, or working with the US Department of Treasury, Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund to become a CDFI, and continued engagement with USDA so that the institution can become a guaranteed lender with the Farm Services Agency.

    “Supporting southern farmers is essential to supporting rural economies in communities across the south,” added Shirley Sherrod, acting secretary of the SFFA.
    “The SFFA and USDA are building up the toolset southern farmers can use to support their family farms and pass them on to the next generations,” said Cornelius Blanding, acting Chief Executive Officer.

    “This agreement will open up new opportunities for historically underserved southern farmers to sustain and grow their businesses,” said Calvin King, SFFA acting treasurer.

    The SFFA will build on several steps USDA has taken under the Biden-Harris Administration to expand access to capital, keep farmers farming, and make its programs more accessible and equitable… This includes the work of the USDA Equity Commission, an Heirs Property Relending Program, to help families with heirs property issues, programs to help 1890 Land Grant Colleges and their students, and other measures.

    For more information about these efforts and more, visit USDA.gov/equity.
    USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

    The Greene County Democrat will continue to follow progress toward the creation, operation and implementation of the programs of the SFFA financial institution going forward.

  • Newswire : Sierra Leone’s president uses UN Security Council presidency to urge more seats for Africa

    The UN Security Council holds a meeting on the Middle East Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019 at United Nations headquarters. Canada is still vying for a seat on the United Nations Security Council, but it’s already warming up the chair with a plan to hire trainers for Canadian officials. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Mary Altaffer

    By: AfricaNews and AP
    After decades of seeking a bigger voice in the United Nations ‘ most powerful body, Africa “cannot wait any longer,” Sierra Leone’s president told the Security Council on Monday.
    Chairing a meeting that his country convened, President Julius Maada Bio pressed a longstanding bid for African countries to get more council seats, including two permanent and potentially veto-wielding spots.
    “The time for half-measures and incremental progress is over. Africa must be heard, and its demands for justice and equity must be met,” Bio said, calling his continent the “unquestionable victim” of an imbalanced, outdated and unrepresentative Security Council structure.
    It wasn’t the first time the council has heard calls for expanding and reshaping its membership — and African countries aren’t the only ones that want more representation. While there’s a general sense that the council needs to change, discussions have bogged down over differences on how much to expand the group, what countries to include and what powers it should have.
    But Bio’s presence put an exclamation point on the issue ahead of a U.N. “Summit of the Future” and the annual General Assembly gathering of presidents, prime ministers and monarchs. Both gatherings are scheduled next month.
    Some countries are hoping for momentum from the summit, which is meant to generate a wide-ranging new vision of what international cooperation should look like in this century. The latest draft of the summit’s potential “Pact for the Future” terms Security Council reform a priority and pledges an “ambitious” result, with specific language still to come.
    “We are sure it is a matter of time. Because the gatekeepers will find it difficult to let us in,” Bio said at a news briefing Monday, but “we have a genuine and compelling case.”
    Set up in 1945 to try to maintain peace in the wake of World War II, the Security Council can levy sanctions, deploy peacekeeping missions and otherwise pass resolutions that are legally binding, if sometimes ignored.
    Its composition reflects the postwar power structure, and a time when most of Africa was under European control.
    The United States, Russia, China, Britain and France are permanent, veto-wielding members. Ten other seats — originally six, until a 1965 expansion — go to countries that get two-year council terms, without veto power. The broader General Assembly elects them by region, with three seats for Africa.
    African countries, and many others, have argued that the arrangement shorts the continent with the world’s fastest-growing population, now at 1.3 billion. The continent’s 54 countries make up 28% of the U.N.‘s member states. Five of the U.N.’s 11 current peacekeeping operations are in Africa, as are four of the top 10 countries in terms of sending troops.
    The African Union, a regional group, has called for two additional elected seats — yielding a total of five — and two permanent ones for countries on the continent.
    The permanent seats, in particular, must “be urgently addressed,” Namibia’s foreign minister, Peya Mushelenga, told the council Monday.
    Any changes to the council’s composition would be up to the General Assembly, which has held negotiations for years. Assembly President Dennis Francis said Monday that Africa is “manifestly underrepresented” on the council and that the status quo is “simply wrong.”
    But the U.N.’s member countries have floated many different ideas for changing the council, and any move to accommodate Africa would likely stir pressure to consider other proposals. The United States, for instance, backs adding permanent seats for countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, among others.
    “Let’s stop admiring the problem here. We need to move to solutions,” U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, whose prior postings include multiple African countries, told the council.
    Bio, whose nation currently holds the council’s rotating presidency, urged the group to get behind giving his continent priority in any structural changes.
    “Africa cannot wait any longer,” he said.

     

  • Newswire: Federation set to honor Congressman James Clyburn at Annual Meeting

    Congressman James Clyburn

    The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund will award its ‘Estelle Witherspoon Lifetime Achievement Award’ to Congressman James Clyburn of South Carolina.
    The award will be presented at an August 15, Thursday evening fundraising dinner ,at the Sheraton Civic Center Hotel in downtown Birmingham, Alabama.

    The annual banquet will mark the start of the Federation’s 57th Annual Meeting. On August 16 and 17th, the meeting continues at the Federation’s Rural Training and Research Center, between Epes and Gainesville, in Sumter County, Alabama. There will be panels, workshops and demonstrations on agricultural and rural development issues.

    Congressman James Clyburn has been a champion for Black farmers and other rural people for his entire career in Congress representing South Carolina’s Sixth District. He has served as Majority Whip and Assistant to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and leader of the National Democratic Party.

    Persons interested in registering to attend all or any part of the Federation/LAF Annual Meeting
    should go to the organization’s website at: http://www.federation.coop for more information

  • BBCF Community & Arts Grants Spring 2024

    SELMA, AL – March 25, 2024: The Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF) is offering community and arts grant opportunities open to community-based organizations operating within its 12-county service area comprising Bullock, Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, and Wilcox Counties of Alabama.

    The 2024 BBCF Arts and Community Grants Cycle will open on March 28th with the online grant application going live followed by a series of in-person and online Learn Grants-BBCF Style Workshops. There will be an in-person workshop in each of the 12 counties which will serve as an opportunity for the community to meet the new BBCF Arts Director, Aaron Head, and to answer any questions you may have about the grant process.

    For a more in-depth learning experience, covering all aspects of the BBCF grant process and including tips for writing a successful application, please plan to attend one of the two Online Grant Summit workshops. Please note that any organization that has never submitted a grant application to BBCF MUST attend one in-person workshop session prior to applying. April 19th is the deadline for all applications, with final decisions being tendered by the end of May 2024.

    Dates for the in-person and online workshops are forthcoming – be sure to follow BBCF on social media and check out our website, blackbeltfound.org, for up-to-date information about these sessions.

    BBCF President Felecia Lucky states, “We are enthusiastic and assured of the work and guidance offered by the BBCF Community Associates and Local Grant Review Committees in facilitating the grant application process and in fostering connections with organizations dedicated to catalyzing positive change within their communities. This year marks the 19th anniversary of the Community Grant Cycle and the 18th anniversary of Arts granting, coinciding with the celebration of BBCF’s 20th anniversary.”

    BBCF’s Community Grant Cycle will invest in organizations engaging Black Belt citizens by addressing the most pressing community needs through grants ranging in size from $500 to $7500. This type of work includes but is not limited to education, economic development, health, criminal justice reform and intervention, civic engagement/participation, recreational programs, etc.

    BBCF’s Arts Grant Cycle will target in-school, after-school and community-based arts and arts education programs as well as professional development and capacity building. These grants have a range of $500 to $5000.

    For both Community and Arts grants, applicants will be able to find specific examples of previous projects funded and other helpful details via the grant application web resource page at: https://blackbeltfound.org/2024grants/ .