Tom Vilsack and Social Justice

We believe the Florida Forest Service is violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by allowing a discriminatory approach to sugarcane burning. We support the Sierra Club complaint, issued last month, which calls for an investigation by the federal EPA, the civil rights division of the Department of Justice, and critically, the Department of Agriculture under the leadership of Secretary Tom Vilsack.

We're writing today to ask for your help in getting Vilsack to take action on this matter. Vilsack is the longest-serving leader of America's agriculture department in more than 50 years. He's a twice-elected governor of Iowa and a former presidential candidate. He deeply understands American agriculture and Washington's levers of power. He's also made more than his share of missteps on the path to racial justice and equity.

While serving in President Obama's cabinet, Vilsack helped create a firestorm by dismissing Shirley Sherrod, USDA's first Black director of rural development in Georgia, reacting to specious attacks by Bill O'Reilly, Andrew Breitbart, and others. His appointment to Biden's cabinet—instead of former representative and longtime ag committee member Marcia Fudge—stirred new concern about the agriculture department's focus and commitment to social justice. After all, the amount of farmland under Black ownership has fallen by 85 percent in the past century, according to USDA data.

Which brings us to today. We are asking for Secretary Vilsack to help put an end to the civil rights violation that is sugarcane burning. Will he stand on the side of positive change and reform, or will he support the toxic status quo?

We don't know the answer yet. Which is why we are asking you to please forward this email to agsec@usda.gov. Tell Secretary Vilsack that we are counting on his leadership to end to sugarcane burning in America.