4 The Hampton Roads Messenger Editorial


Remembering the Past to Ensure the Best Future for African Americans


community for almost 400 years. The issues of lack of self respect and self hate seem to have become more prevalent since desegregation; for this reason, I believe in homeschooling one’s child, if a good school, where one’s child’s ethnicity is in the majority, is not available. A child could feel alienated in a school full of people who do not look anything like him or her.


A child being a minority at BY ANGELA JONES Some African Americans take


offense when the phrase “African American Community” is used. Some of them believe the term is too broad, while others do not want to be associated with other African Americans at all. Until all African Americans get comfortable with the “community” concept, African Americans, as a whole, will never command the respect we deserve.


I read a past edition of Ebony


magazine recently, which included an article from their series called "Saving Our Sons," referring to Trayvon Martin’s death. The not-guilty verdict that the jury handed down after the George Zimmerman trial was the ultimate form of disrespect for African Americans throughout this country. It was not just a slap in the face to young African American males, but to their mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters, as well.


As African Americans, we have


to own our part in the perpetual disrespect of our community. When we are not respectful of each other, from the greatest of us to the least of us, it does not go unnoticed. Although a lot of the disrespect African Americans show each other is a result of hundreds of years of conditioning, at some point we must take a step back, take a long look in the mirror and recognize the self hatred for what it is. Then, we can begin corrective measures such as seeking counseling.


I believe mentoring and economic


independence are key to overcoming both the lack of self respect and the blatant disrespect from others that has afflicted the African American


school may not be a problem for other races of people. For African American children, when alienation at school is combined with other problems that plague African American communities such as both parents working outside of the home, leaving children to fend for themselves for several hours, their self esteem can be affected.


This is where the community,


as a whole, can come together and offer no cost or low cost afterschool programs at churches or community centers. We have all seen or heard about the fabulous programs at Jewish community centers as well as the great educational opportunities Jewish Americans offer their children through their community supported private schools. African American children should have similar opportunities. After all, it was not that many years ago that Jewish citizens were not respected by the masses; however, they pulled themselves up by their proverbial bootstraps and came together to ensure that everyone in their community was able to have access to a good education and whatever else was needed. The community, as a whole, benefited and is now respected as one of the most economically savvy groups in the country.


When African Americans


realize how other ethnic groups have been able to survive and thrive in this country, they will understand the power in coming together and working together. When we support African American owned businesses and organizations we will realize that there is strength in numbers. When we all work together toward our common goals of economic independence and gaining respect as a community that cares for its own, great things will happen. Our children will be better educated; they will love and respect themselves; they will love and respect each other; we will amass great wealth for everyone in our "community;" and then and only then, will we be respected by the rest of the world.


Volume 8 Number 6


February 2014


Drought Brings Hard Times to California Farmers


BY NGOC NGUYEN California’s driest winter on record


has caused Fresno grower Kevin Yang to leave two-thirds of his land fallow.


“It’s killing me right now,” he said.


“I have 30 acres. I just have 10 acres of strawberries [planted] now. The rest of my land … I can’t use it. It’s too dry. I have to wait for rain to come.”


Yang, a Hmong grower who owns


Kevin’s Farm, located in the Central Valley half way between San Francisco and Los Angeles, usually grows cherry tomatoes and long beans, an Asian specialty crop that has a ready market in California. But, this year, Yang’s profits will be cut. Even his strawberries are too small.


California is experiencing record


dry conditions, with this year projected to be the driest on record. The state usually relies on three months of rain from December to February to replenish its water supply. But, with three consecutive years of below average winter rainfall, supplies are alarmingly low. The snowpack – which serves as water storage for the drier summer months – is 20 percent of normal; reservoirs are very low for this time of year, and groundwater levels statewide have dropped significantly.


The severity of the drought


prompted Governor Jerry Brown to declare a drought emergency on Jan. 17, a move largely aimed at boosting morale in this huge agricultural state. The declaration triggered limited federal assistance to state growers and livestock producers. Small farmers, who represent the majority (85 percent) of farming operations in the state, could get relief through an emergency loan program, but low enrollment in other federal loan programs suggest robust outreach efforts are needed, especially among minority farmers.


Yang taps groundwater from a well


to irrigate his crops. Arid conditions mean he has to spend more money to pump more water to sustain his farm. He says he can’t afford to pump the extra water needed to soften his soil.


“My land is very hard, like rock,”


he said. “I use equipment to chomp down [on the ground, but] I can’t do it. I need the water. When I turn the pump on, it costs me $4000 a month.”


Yang also has to make monthly


payments of about $500 on a loan of $35,000 he took out last year from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA). He says he’s two months behind on those loan payments.


Emergency loans provide relief The emergency loan program


Established 2006 Angela Jones, Publisher Chris Parks, Editor


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PO Box 10414 ● Norfolk, VA 23513


Sales and Information 757-575-1863 info@hamptonroadsmessenger.com Copyright pertaining to contents of this edition. All rights reserved.


triggered by the state’s emergency drought declaration could help to refinance Yang’s loan or defer payments, according to Val Dolcini, state executive director of the USDA Farm Service Agency.


Growers can borrow up to


$500,000 at a low interest rate of 2 to 3 percent to help restore property, pay for production costs, and cover essential family living expenses, he said. Growers and ranchers whose production has fallen because of the drought can apply for the loan. Dolcini says [growers and ranchers] in nearly all state counties are eligible to apply, as nearly all counties


in the state are experiencing “severe” or “extreme” drought conditions.


Information gap for minority farmers Growers can already apply for the


federal crop insurance program, which is limited because it covers specific crops only.


Michael Yang of the University


of California Cooperative Extension, which runs a statewide program to help small farmers, says the crop insurance program doesn’t cover specialty crops, such as Asian vegetables grown by hundreds of Asian farmers in the Central Valley.


Yang (no relation to Kevin


Yang), who is Hmong and used to be a vegetable farmer himself, says the USDA offers an insurance program for non-specialty crops, but few Southeast Asian farmers apply for it.


According to the USDA office in


Frenso, the busiest office in the state according to Dolcini, 120 farmers in the county participated in the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) from 2011-2013. Of that number, 18 were Asian.


Michael Yang says, in general,


Hmong farmers face language and cultural barriers in accessing government programs. In addition, the farmers lack the required paperwork -- records and documentation -- needed to apply for federal loans.


Dolcini says the NAP program


is just one part of the USDA’s overall portfolio. California’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has nearly 1,100 borrowers, with some racial groups receiving loans in proportion to their population. About a fifth of the state’s farming operations are owned by minority farmers. While Asians operate about 4.5 percent of the farms (2007 agriculture census), they received 8.5 percent of the FSA loans as of Sept. 2013. Latinos own 12 percent of farms, but account for just 3.5 percent of loan recipients.


Dolcini said his office has made


strides to build relationships with small, ethnic farmers, including hiring more diverse staff and developing a microloan program targeted to ethnic borrowers who face obstacles in the loan process.


“Ethnic famers around the state


haven’t worked as closely with our offices,” he said. “In Fresno, we’ve made an effort to hire Hmong-speaking staff. Our office is providing culturally sensitive and appropriate information to growers who may need our help.”


Michael Yang with the UCCE


says, “If the drought continues, a lot of the small farmers are going to suffer.” He says farmers are having to spend upwards of $20,000 to drill a deeper well if they have run out of water.


“A lot of small farms will not be


able to do that. That costs a lot,” he said, adding that more small farmers may go out of business.


Costs rising for small farmers Grace Teressi, the owner of


Miramonte Farms and Nursery in San Benito County, says the drier conditions are making her “very nervous.”


She says water does two things: it softens the earth and flushes salt lower


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