Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) -Agriculture is yet another area in which Black leaders say they are denied access. “For too long, Black farmers and growers have faced systemic barriers from land loss, discrimination in lending, equitable access to state and federal programs, and the erosion of community welfare that comes with it. These are not just agriculture issues,” said Cate Caldwell (pictured, left), a senior policy manager at the Illinois Environmental Council. “Hear me clearly: they are environmental justice issues, they are economic justice issues, they are civil rights issues.”

Caldwell was part of Wednesday’s Black Farmers and Growers Lobby Day Wednesday at the Capitol.

The chair of the Illinois House Agriculture Committee, State Rep. Sonya Harper (pictured, right) (D-Chicago), said, “Implementation matters most, and one of the clearest examples is the $2.5 million allocated by the state of Illinois for socially disadvantaged farmers. Now, that money was intended to support farmers who have historically faced barriers to land, capital, and opportunity, and many of those farmers are still waiting today.”