July 24, 2021

Contact: Lawrence Lucas, President Emeritus, USDA Coalition of Minority Employees

• Email: LawrLCL@aol.com
• Website: www.agcoalition.org
• Phone: 856-910-2399

In conjunction with the 9th Annual Whistleblower Summit and Film Festival, the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees, led by President Emeritus, Lawrence Lucas will be presenting a panel discussion on “Systemic Discrimination at the US Department of Agriculture.”

The event is scheduled for Thursday, July 29, at 10:00am EST.

The panel will feature Lawrence Lucas, President Emeritus, USDA Coalition of Minority Employees, as panel moderator; Tracy Lloyd McCurty, Founder and CEO of Black Belt Justice Center and Acres of Ancestry; Lesa Donnelly, Vice-President of the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees; Lloyd Wright, Black farmer and former Director, USDA Office of Civil Rights (OCR); and Waymon Hinson, independent research, author, and film co-producer.

Secretary Tom Vilsack and other USDA officials have received significant push-back along with the OCR and Farm Service Administration (FSA). Investigative reporting reveals numerous injustices and failures by him and the OCR. The panelists will present disturbing information which presses the need for systemic change within the Department, or as it is labeled, “THE LAST PLANTATION,” in order to eliminate racism, sexual abuse, retaliation, and other abuses against minority farmers, especially Black farmers, and employees.

The Summit’s web page is: https://www.whistleblowersummit.com/

The web page for the panel is: https://filmfestivalflix.com/zoom-meetings/combating-systemic-discrimination-at-u-s-department-of-agriculture/

Pre-registration for the Summit is required.  All panel discussions are free of charge.