Statement of Allen P. Spencer, Lead Agent In support of the Rural Coalition’s January 13, 2003 letter calling for President George W. Bush and Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman to End Racism in the U.S. Department of Agriculture It is evident and well documented that the evil of historical racial prejudice in the United States is promoted legislatively, institutionally, and on the part of Individuals. That history has constructed the current de facto racially segregated state and condition of African American employment in the Department of Agriculture. Racial prejudice and insensitivity, as recently shown by some of our elected representatives and agency officials, are evident and well-documented facts. It is an historical trend that is alive and seriously discriminating against African American employees of the USDA. USDA is not an equal opportunity employer! The purpose of the Spencer class complaint is to change that historical trend. The federal Office of Personnel Management data shows that, for executive agencies, USDA is second from the bottom in African American employment. It is much worse than low gross numbers --- the data shows that African Americans in USDA suffer from grade, occupation, and geographic employment exclusion. USDA is grossly uneven and has employment segregation that runs counter to the national interests of the great majority of all Americans. The USDA and its sister agency, the Interior Department, are the bottom rungs of the equality ladder. The Interior Department and the USDA’s sub-unit, the Forest Service, are the nation’s primary land management agencies. The common trait of these agencies is their historical function of racially excluding African Americans from the benefits of the nation’s public lands, including the benefits of employment. The demographics and geography of the USDA correlates exactly with our shameful national history of slavery, Jim Crow, racial prejudice, and exclusion of African Americans. That must change. We sincerely and vigorously call upon the President of the United States and the Secretary of Agriculture to initiate the end of USDA racism by ordering the implementation of an action team comprised of class agents, USDA officials, outside professionals, consultants or mediators, and others to expedite resolution of the Spencer, et al., v. Veneman class complaint /s/Allen P. Spencer
Allen P. Spencer, et al., v. Ann M. Veneman
USDA African American Employee Class Complaint
Janurary 13, 2003
Sonora, California
Email: Allen Spencer, Class Agent.
Web Site: http://www.xusda.com