MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association said its decision to reject a $12 billion federal farm assistance program is not about turning down money, but about fairness in how federal aid is distributed.

Leaders of the Memphis-based organization said during a press conference Monday that the issue is who qualifies for the funding, who does not, and why.

The program is tied to trade impacts and tariffs, and is intended to provide financial relief to farmers nationwide.

The association represents farmers, landowners, and heirs of Black farmers across the country. Its leadership argued that previous race-based aid, designed to compensate Black farmers for decades of discrimination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was blocked after lawsuits claimed such relief was unconstitutional. They said the current program raises questions about why billions can now be distributed without addressing those earlier claims.

“It’s not a matter of our being at par farmers. We are, I am, a farmer. I was born on a farm. I live to be a farmer. I will die a farmer. This is not Anti-Farming. This is about fairness,” said Thomas Burrell.

Burrell said white farmers previously challenged minority-focused relief in federal court, arguing that it violated the Constitution. He questioned how the same constitutional arguments are no longer being applied in the current distribution of aid.

“So what we’re arguing is, if the Constitution then is what was being used to deprive African American farmers from a congressional mandate from receiving moneys that they were to receive as a victim for racial discrimination by USDA, how can this same agency, now USDA, vis-a-vis the president, use its discretion to give to this group of farmers?” Burrell said.

The group also raised concerns about the long-term impact on heirs of Black farmers, warning that recent court rulings could affect property inheritance rights tied to agricultural land.

“And the federal courts are using this particular guy to violate or to deprive the sons and daughters, the heirs of Black farmers, from receiving the exact same benefit that every other citizen in this country enjoys. And that is a fundamental, God-given constitutional right to inherit property,” Burrell said.

Not everyone agrees with the association’s approach.

Melanie Mosley, president of the Whitehaven Republican Club, said she believes eligible Black farmers should accept the funding while continuing to pursue legal action separately.

“My thoughts on it is that I think that if they qualify for the 20,000 African-American farmers, whichever was qualified for it, I think they should go ahead and opt in to receive it,” Mosley said.

Burrell said the organization believes the issue extends beyond a single payout and could have broader civil rights implications.

“That means now that here again, we still have judicial remedy, but we’re going to have to do what the black community has done for the last 100 years. And we’re going to have to go again to the highest court of the land,” Burrell said.

The association says its attorneys are preparing to file a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court and are also calling on members of Congress to hold hearings on how federal farm aid is distributed. Federal officials have not announced any changes to the program.