BY GEORGE WILLIAMS
EPES, Alabama - The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/ Land Assistance Fund held its 28th annual meeting here August 18-19. Some 150 people participated in workshops on the 1995 farm bill, marketing, housing, and other matters of concern to farmers. The organization is made up primarily of Black farmers and cooperative members.
One of the main goals of the federation is to end the devastating loss of land owned by Blacks and other minority farmers. From a high point in the early 1900s of 15 million acres, Blacks own less than 3 million acres of land today, the overwhelming majority of which is located in the southeast. Over the past six years the federation says it has helped Black farmers maintain 125,000 acres of land.
During the workshops and informal discussions, the 1995 Farm Bill was a topic of debate. Some favored lobbying as a way to defend their interests, while others thought farmers should organize a march on Washington. Ralph Paige, executive director of the federation, argued for defeating the Republican Party in the next national election as the most effective tactic, as did other members of the organization's board of directors.
Fight against a frame-up
A highlight of the meeting was a presentation by Dewayne
Boyd, a Black family farmer from Mississippi who was framed-
up for protesting the theft of his land by a wealthy
landowner. Boyd announced to prolonged applause his October
4 acquittal on arson charges by a jury in Oktibbeha County,
Mississippi. Boyd furnished additional details of his fight
in an interview.
Boyd returned to Mississippi in 1990 to find that Waldrop Farms, a big-business agricultural outfit, was farming his family's land. Boyd's grandmother Margaret Weaver is the deed owner of 1,000 acres that her grandfather purchased in 1867. To ensure adequate legal protection in maintaining the family's land, Boyd and his uncle leased the land from his grandmother, with an intent to purchase.
After inspecting U.S. Department of Agriculture documents, Boyd discovered Waldrop Farms held lease rights to only 315 acres of land owned by his family, even though the company was using all 1,000 acres. A warranty deed drawn up on behalf of Waldrop Farms by former Starkville city attorney Ben Hilbun, Boyd insists, was fraudulent. "It didn't take an expert to see that something was wrong with those documents," he said. "My grandmother didn't sign that deed nor any of the other documents. Her signature had been forged, even her name was misspelled."
Boyd won some early battles against Waldrop. As a result of Boyd's complaints, the government dropped Waldrop from a number of farm assistance programs during 1990. Boyd said, "It's a crime when well-off big businessmen such as Waldrop, which controls most of the farming in this area, are the main recipients of governmental assistance programs."
In 1992 the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that Waldrop was occupying Boyd's family's land illegally. Just days before the Supreme Court ruling, Boyd was charged with burning a Waldrop Farms tractor. A raid on Boyd's home by Sheriff Dolf Byrne caused Boyd to fear for his life and he escaped out a back window, later turning himself in.
The Federation of Southern Cooperatives helped bail Boyd out of jail and arranged for his legal defense. Initially, a grand jury refused to indict Boyd because only circumstantial evidence was presented by the sheriff. Byrne then somehow dug up a witness to whom Boyd allegedly confessed. On the basis of this new "evidence" an indictment was issued. "My dream was put on hold," Boyd said.
Broad support wins fight
Boyd was tried for arson twice. The first trial in 1993
ended in a hung jury. His victory against the frame-up
charges was largely due, Boyd said, to the support he had
received from the federation and others from around the
country. "Farmers, working people, Black, white, and red
showed their support for me," he told the Black farmer's
conference. "Many expressed their gratitude for my standing
up for what's right.
"This ordeal was scary, real scary, to the point of fearing for my life," Boyd explained. "Many people have died or been put in prison for fighting against the status quo. One of my hopes coming out of this is that we all realize that we've got to stand up and fight together or we lose what we've gained and struggled for over many years."
Now that his name has been cleared, Boyd says he is looking forward to farming his family's land and bringing Waldrop and others to justice. He has initiated proceedings to force Waldrop to reimburse taxpayers for subsidies received while illegally farming Boyd's land.
Also speaking at the meeting was South African minister of land affairs Derek Hanekom. Participants listened with rapt attention as he explained how Africans in South Africa were forced off their land and the steps being taken today by the new government to rectify this. Both Hanekom and his aide, who are members of the African National Congress, were surrounded after the meeting by those wanting to discuss the struggle by the landless in South Africa.
Bill Kalman, representative of the Mark Curtis Defense Committee from Des Moines, Iowa, received a hearty round of applause as he hailed the recent stay of execution for Mumia Abu-Jamal. Kalman drew the connections between that case and Mark Curtis's fight for justice. Curtis is a meatpacker who was framed up on rape and burglary charges seven years ago. He had been active in farm and labor issues.
Many participants in the farm conference stopped by the information table set up by the Curtis Defense Committee after Kalman's remarks and expressed their support.
George Williams is a member of the United Auto Workers Union in Birmingham, Alabama. Nancy Boyasko and Alyson Kennedy of Birmingham, Alabama, and Jerry Freiwirth of Houston, Texas, also contributed to this article.