The roots of racial inequality — Part 1: The plan to rescue socially disadvantaged farmers

The federal government is moving to repay the loans of socially-disadvantaged farmers, including Black, Latino and Asian producers. The initiative is meant to address financial disparities laid bare by the pandemic, but those same inequities can be traced back even further— to Reconstruction and Manifest Destiny. The discussion surrounding the repayment program for disadvantaged producers is also connected to national conversations about race and public policy, including Critical Race Theory and reparations for the descendants of African American slaves.

In this series of reports, Curtis Jackson examines how the past is informing current policy in Ohio and political debate in the state and beyond.