“When we learn about the struggles of Black people against racism in the United States it gives us more confidence to fight for our rights in Brazil,” said Elisangela Araújo, general coordinator of the Federation of Agriculture Workers and Family Farmers (FETRAF-Brazil/CUT). FETRAF was formed a few years ago out of the labor movement and has a membership of 750,000 family farmers, 500 smaller unions, and farm workers. Araújo was selected to attend the Alabama meeting by the Brazilian affiliate of the South African-based ActionAid International, located in more than 40 countries, including the United States.

A number of farmers involved in a class-action lawsuit filed against the U.S. Department of Agriculture for racist discrimination attended the conference. Warren James, a 42-year-old farmer from Montezuma, Georgia, owns a vegetable farm of 1,000 acres there. He said he had received $50,000 in debt relief based on his claim in the lawsuit. Like many farmers across the country his farm has been hit hard by drought conditions. “Because of the dry weather I will take a loss this year,” James said.  
 
 
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