The ACLU of Louisiana has joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in filing an amended complaint against the U.S. Department of Agriculture on behalf of fourth-generation sugarcane farmers in New Iberia alleging discrimination against Black and minority farmers.
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of Angie and Wenceslaus “June” Provost Jr.
June Provost grew up tending to his family’s vast 4,000+ acre farm alongside his father and brothers. He and his wife eventually assumed full responsibility for its operations, according to an ACLU news release.
Years of inadequate funding through USDA loans, the ACLU alleges, hindered the Provosts' ability to acquire and maintain equipment and hire workers, resulting in the loss of the family’s farm.
The amended class action lawsuit, Provost v. Vilsack — Thomas Vilsack, secretary of the Department of Agriculture — contends that despite a historic settlement in the Pigford v. Glickman litigation — one of the largest civil rights class action lawsuits in U.S. history addressing discrimination in federal farm programs — the USDA’s prejudiced practices against farmers of color persist.
These practices, they allege, include disproportionately denying loans, imposing unfair terms and treating individuals differently based on race. Furthermore, the complaint alleges that the agency has been negligent in addressing discrimination claims and has proceeded with foreclosure on farmers with pending complaints.
The complaint alleges that the ordeal experienced by the Provosts is not an isolated incident. Instead, it alleges, it symbolizes a broader trend familiar to Black farmers across both the Southern region and the entirety of the United States. Consequently, the number of Black farmers continues to dwindle. According to the latest available Census of Agriculture data, only one in 100 farmers is Black, owning a total of less than 5 million acres.
The ACLU of Louisiana has assumed representation in this case to pursue injunctive relief for the Provost family and seek impactful and lasting change of the USDA’s discriminatory practices, the news release states.
Wilson Sonsini filed the initial pro bono complaint in this matter in April 2024 on a pro bono basis.