To: The Biden USDA Agency Review Team Thomas Vilsack- Former Secretary Honorable David Scott Honorable Cory Booker Vice President-elect Kamala Harris White House Domestic Policy-Susan Rice Speaker of the House- Nancy Pelosi Minority Leader- Chuck Schumer President-elect Joe Biden

December 31, 2020

I am most troubled by the response that all of the advocates for Black farmers that oppose the confirmation of Tom Vilsack are receiving from this new administration. The logic does not follow that the agency review team can give access to President-elect Biden, Vice President-elect Harris and Nominee Vilsack, via zoom, but cannot get access to other agency review teams in regards to policies directly affecting Black farmers. Our group, led by several advocates and attorneys requested to be on the zoom conference and was denied by the agency review team for the USDA. We, as a group, will not stop fighting in opposition of this nomination. Black farmers suffered in a mighty way during his first tenure. As we have grown wise to the efforts of Mr. Vilsack to suppress the voices of Black farmers, we now will take our message to the Democratic Party as a whole. We have 2 years to hold the accountable for this action of nominating Tom Vilsack as the Secretary of Agriculture. Mr. Biden, your campaign was pulled out of the ashes by Black people and you seek to confirm a man who has a track record of assassinating the hopes and dreams of Black farmers. It saddens me that you would send a Black man and Black woman to do a deed that entails trying to quiet the voices of the concerned. As for Ms. Oden and Mr. Baker, is it a great day for justice and Black America that you are being used by this administration to attempt to quiet our voices and delay our opposition so that Mr. Vilack be confirmed at all cost? The analogy begs to draw inference of the African tribes that sold other African unto slavery knowing that millions of the captured would perish at sea on the journey to America. I will speak for Black America, 2022 is coming and no longer will either party continue to beg for our vote and disregard our agenda as soon as the election is over. Mrs. Harris is a brilliant choice and a rising star. I am confident if she knew about the coverup of the rape of Rosetta Davis and other USDA employees, by Mr. Vilsack and Joe Leonard, that she would try to remedy the problems at the Department of Agriculture. First by urging Mr. Biden to sign the proposed Executive Order given the Mr. Trey Baker and the agency review team. Ms. Oden knows first hand about the “land grab” against the Pigford Class members and other Black farmers coming after. However, she has taken the position that a possible job in Washington is worth the blood, sweat and tears of innocent Black men and women who just want to farm and live in peace and are treated with dignity and respect. To Mr. Schumer, Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Scott, the disregard of Black farmers and the acceptance of Tom Vilsack for a second tenure will have dire consequences in the 2022 elections. We, as Black Americans, will no longer be silent while the full force and resources of the United States is aimed at Black Americans rights and humanity. We have had to change our actions to counteract the aggressions of the Department of Agriculture against Black farmers. In 2022, our voices will be heard by all of America and not just in our community of Black farmers.

Sincerely,

____/s/_____ Corey Lea The Cowtown Foundation Inc. 615 308 7787