IL HR0152

Declares May 11 through May 17, 2025 as Black Farmers and Growers Week in Illinois

Recognizes Pembroke Township as once home to the largest community of Black farmers in the north, founded by self-emancipated enslaved people

Documents the decline of Black farming: in 1920, Illinois had 892 Black farmers and African Americans owned 14% of the nation's farmland; by 2017, only 188 individually Black-owned farms remained covering 40,412 acres

Acknowledges historical discrimination by the USDA, which admitted in a landmark settlement to approving only a fraction of financing requests and delaying loans to Black farmers until after planting season

Encourages Illinois residents to learn about Black farming history and recognizes efforts to innovate through urban agriculture, vertical farming, and microfarms to improve food access in underserved communities