BLACK FARMERS AND GROWERS WEEK

Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HR0726

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Full Text of HR0726

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HR0726 - 104th General Assembly

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HR0726
LRB104 21123 ECR 35391 r
1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

2

WHEREAS, Farming as a family-owned and independent
3
business has been an important part of the social and economic
4
development of Illinois and the United States; and

5

WHEREAS, Black farmers in America have had a long struggle
6
to own land and operate independently; for more than a century
7
after emancipation and the ratification of the 13th Amendment
8
that abolished slavery, various economic and social barriers
9
were discriminatorily applied toward Black farmers, and the
10
few existing civil rights laws were rarely enforced; and

11

WHEREAS, Many foundational agricultural techniques used in
12
the United States today were developed or refined through the
13
knowledge and labor of enslaved Africans, who brought with
14
them sophisticated farming traditions from West and Central
15
Africa, including expertise in rice cultivation, crop
16
rotation, seed selection, irrigation, and soil stewardship
17
that helped shape American agricultural systems; and

18

WHEREAS, Pembroke Township in Kankakee County, founded by
19
self-emancipated formerly enslaved people, developed into one
20
of the largest historic Black rural farming communities in the
21
Northern United States, where generations of Black farmers
22
pursued land ownership and agricultural independence and

HR0726
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LRB104 21123 ECR 35391 r
1
established a lasting legacy of agricultural stewardship in
2
Illinois; and

3

WHEREAS, In 1920, there were approximately 892 Black
4
farmers in Illinois, and African Americans owned approximately
5
14% of the nation's farmland; and

6

WHEREAS, Despite Illinois having nearly 27 million acres
7
of farmland, Black farmers today operate less than 1% of that
8
land, reflecting the long-term decline in Black land ownership
9
and participation in agriculture over the past century; and

10

WHEREAS, Over the last century, Black land ownership has
11
declined dramatically nationwide, with Black farmers losing an
12
estimated 90% of their farmland since its peak in the early
13
20th century; and

14

WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of
15
Agriculture's 2017 Census of Agriculture, Illinois had 188
16
individually Black-owned farms, covering approximately 40,412
17
acres, and out of 116,417 agricultural producers statewide,
18
only 267 were Black; and

19

WHEREAS, According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture,
20
Black producers in Illinois represented well under 1% of all
21
agricultural producers in the State, and Black-operated

HR0726
- 3 -
LRB104 21123 ECR 35391 r
1
farmland accounted for less than 1% of the State's nearly 27
2
million agricultural acres; and

3

WHEREAS, As farming has become a large-scale,
4
capital-intensive industry, it has become one of the least
5
diverse business sectors in the State, and pressures of
6
consolidation, rising land values, limited access to credit,
7
heirs' property challenges, and inequitable program access
8
have disproportionately reduced the ranks of Black family and
9
independent farmers; and

10

WHEREAS, In a landmark legal settlement, the United States
11
Department of Agriculture acknowledged decades of
12
discriminatory lending practices toward Black farmers,
13
including delayed loans, denied financing, and inequitable
14
access to federal programs; and

15

WHEREAS, Illinois has created regulatory frameworks for
16
both industrial hemp and adult-use cannabis cultivation, and
17
the State has expressed a commitment to social equity and the
18
inclusion of communities historically harmed by prohibition;
19
and

20

WHEREAS, Expanding equitable access to land, capital, and
21
agricultural markets, including emerging specialty crop
22
sectors creates new opportunities for Black farmers and

HR0726
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LRB104 21123 ECR 35391 r
1
growers to build generational wealth and participate more
2
fully in Illinois' evolving agricultural economy; and

3

WHEREAS, Illinois has increasingly recognized the
4
importance of expanding opportunities for emerging farmers and
5
socially disadvantaged producers, including those
6
participating in specialty crop sectors such as industrial
7
hemp and cannabis cultivation, as part of a broader effort to
8
build a more equitable and resilient agricultural economy; and

9

WHEREAS, Black farmers and growers in Illinois today are
10
leading innovation in urban agriculture, specialty crop
11
production, regenerative farming practices, hemp and cannabis
12
cultivation, vertical production systems, and local food
13
distribution networks; in Chicago alone, more than 800
14
community gardens and urban farms operate across the city,
15
with many being stewarded by Black growers and community
16
organizations working to strengthen local food systems and
17
improve food access in underserved communities; therefore, be
18
it

19

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
20
HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
21
we declare May 3 through May 9, 2026 as Black Farmers and
22
Growers Week in the State of Illinois; and be it further

HR0726
- 5 -
LRB104 21123 ECR 35391 r
1

RESOLVED, That we encourage the people of Illinois and
2
their representatives in government to learn about the history
3
of Black farming communities and the contributions made by
4
African Americans to agriculture in the United States; and be
5
it further

6

RESOLVED, That we further encourage State agencies and
7
policymakers to ensure that agricultural programs intended to
8
support farmers are implemented in a manner that meaningfully
9
reaches Black farmers and growers across Illinois, including
10
emerging, limited-resource, and socially disadvantaged
11
producers, and that outreach and program participation extend
12
broadly throughout the State's Black farming communities; and
13
be it further

14

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
15
presented to the Governor of the State of Illinois, the
16
Lieutenant Governor of the State of Illinois, the Director of
17
the Illinois Department of Agriculture, the National Black
18
Farmers Association, and the National Black Food & Justice
19
Alliance.

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