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IL HR0726
Resolution
Status
Introduced
3/11/2026
Primary Sponsor
Sonya Harper
Click for details
AI Summary
- Declares May 3 through May 9, 2026 as Black Farmers and Growers Week in Illinois.
- Black farmers nationwide have lost an estimated 90% of their farmland since the early 20th century peak, declining from 14% of the nation's farmland in 1920 to less than 1% of Illinois' 27 million agricultural acres today.
- Illinois had only 188 individually Black-owned farms covering approximately 40,412 acres as of the 2017 USDA Census, with just 267 Black producers among 116,417 statewide.
- Encourages State agencies to ensure agricultural programs meaningfully reach Black farmers, including emerging, limited-resource, and socially disadvantaged producers.
- Recognizes Pembroke Township in Kankakee County as one of the largest historic Black rural farming communities in the Northern United States, founded by self-emancipated formerly enslaved people.
Legislative Description
BLACK FARMERS AND GROWERS WEEK
Last Action
Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Sonya M. Harper
3/11/2026
Full Bill Text
No bill text available