The Pigford Research Project

In 1999, Black farmers prevailed in Pigford v. Glickman, at the time, the largest civil rights class action lawsuit in history. After over a century of land expropriation that was facilitated by the United States Department of Agriculture, those who could prove that they were eligible to file a claim stood to receive monetary awards and debt relief from the process. While historic in scope, little has been done to understand the impact of the cases on Black farmers’ lives and livelihoods. The Pigford Research Project is a collaborative attempt by the Institute for Economic and Racial Equity (IERE) at the Heller School at Brandeis University and the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund (LAF) to understand the legacy and impact of the Black farmers’ cases.