THE COALITION ACCOMPLISHMENTS

 


1.
Coalition founded May 5, 1994, to eradicate discrimination USDA wide 

2.
Requested formation of a "Blue Ribbon Task Force" 

3.
Secretary Mike Espy establishes, "Blue Ribbon Task Force" 

4.
Led organization's historic going away party for Mike Espy, Patio Whitten
Building 

5.
"Day of Solidarity," 500 employees stood in prayer and seven minutes of silence
in support of Civil Rights, Affirmative Action, Fairness and Equality, mall side
USDA Whitten Building. 

6.
Press Conference "Widespread Discrimination at USDA National Press Club,
Washington, DC. 

7.
Demanded that USDA conduct an Open Forum 

8.
Open Forum was held in the Spring 1996-Day after the Press Conference 

9.
Leader in developing the "Alliance of Employee Organizations" in USDA 

10.
Served on the Blue Ribbon Task Force that put together the "Now Deep 6 Report."
This report was the "Brain Child" for the now famous Civil Rights Action Team
Report. (CRAT) 

11.
The Coalition along with the force of John Boyd, Jr., President, National
Farmers Association precipitated the creation of the Civil Rights Action Team
and its historic documentation of USDA discriminatory civil rights policies and
its consistent violations of Title VI and Title VII. Ensured the participation
of employees around the country--resulting in listening sessions being conducted
at various locations around the country to address customer complaints regarding
equality of service. 

Campaigned
for a USDA diverse workforce (first Asian American career SES employee) 

Demanded the removal of
Jack Ward Thomas, Chief, Forest Service for poor human/civil rights leadership. 

Requested Secretary
Glickman reverse the decision that removed employee organization participation
from attending USDA Civil Rights Leaders Council meetings. Secretary Glickman
granted this request. 

Presidential
  Speaking Engagements 

Speaker
at the National Black Farmers Association Demonstration/Rally in front of USDA
Headquarters on Independence Ave., Washington, DC - April 1997 

Speaker
and participant in Black Farmer Demonstrations in front of the White House,
December 1996 and September 1997. 

Lawrence
C. Lucas, President testified before Congressman Maxine Waters, Congressional
Black Caucus Hearing "USDA's Discrimination against Black Farmers." 

President
Lucas testifies before the "Government Performance and Oversight Committee"on
employee discrimination at USDA and government wide. 

Lawrence
C. Lucas testified before the House Agriculture Committee about discrimination
against employees and farmers. 

Testimony,
"Equal Opportunity Summit-Blacks in Government," Brookings Institution,
Washington, DC, Employee Discrimination at USDA and government wide. 

Speaker
at press conference, "Discrimination in the Federal Government," sponsored by
Congressman Albert Wynn and Elijah Cummings, Washington, DC, Capitol Grounds,
June 1997 

"USDA
Listening Session", Washington, DC 

Speaker
at "AFSCME Protest:" against RIF's in Rural Housing Programs at USDA-front of
Whitten Building, Washington, DC, June 12, 1997 

Speaker
Participant - Protest- "Department of Interior-Black Employees Against Race
Discrimination," May 1997.

Headed
panel on "Employment Discrimination at the Department of Agriculture," "NAACP
Summit on Race," University of Maryland - January 1998. 

Speaker
"National Council of Negro Women's Conference" - "Coalition and Partnership
Building Workshop, "Civil Rights in USDA" Chantilly, VA 1997. 

Speaking
engagements in Portland, Oregon; Mossula, Montana; Atlanta, Georgia; and others
to numerous to delineate.

Keynote
Luncheon Speaker, "African American History Month," Susquehanna Maryland Chapter
of Blacks in Government, Aberdeen, Maryland on February 26, 1998. 

Speaker,
Agricultural Research Service (ARS), African American History Month Program,
North Atlantic Area, Eastern Regional Research Center, Wyndmoor, PA. February
18, 1998. 

Beginning
in December 1997, Coalition president and John Boyd, Jr., President, NBFA,
attended meetings with Assistant and Under Secretaries, their staff of special
assistants/advisors, administrators, directors and civil rights persons
regarding a wide-range of employee and farmer complaints. This effort was
endorsed by Secretary Glickman. Employee discussions consisted of the following:
resolution of class actions, speedy resolution of individual complaints,
rectifying the backlog of employee complaints, implementation of "ZERO
TOLERANCE," penalties for those found guilty of discrimination, a proactive
approach to solving a wide-range of civil rights issues in the CRAT, CRIT and
OIG recommendations...to include fair awards, training and promotions. These
meeting are continuing.

Speaker
at Rally in front of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, sponsored
by the National Black Farmers Associations, March 18, 1998. 

Speaker,
"Coalition Building and Partnerships, Employment and Program Discrimination,"
Virginia Technical University, March 24, 1998. 

President Lucas invited
to conduct a half-day interactive workshop for top managements, employees and
civil rights officials, ARS, Eastern Regional Research Canter, Wyndmoor, PA on
March 26, 1998. 


Proactivity

Demanded
USDA civil rights accountability from politically appointed employees, career
managers, and employees at all levels. 

Demanded
that managers be frequently evaluated, rated, tracked and held accountable for
his/her EEO accomplishments/lack of accomplishments. 

Required
speedy processing and mediation of employee and customer complaints Conducted a
forum entitled, "Civil Rights-Bridge to the 21st Century, in conjunction with
"Blacks in Government National Conference," Hilton Hotel, Washington, DC 

Continued
to question the role of the USDA Office of General Counsel and Department of
Justice government attorneys interfering with the fair and speedy processing of
EEO settlements. 

Supports
Coalition Presidents and members around the country, while under fire by
management for supporting civil rights changes in USDA. 

Led and won the battle
to abolish the Forest Service Surplus List and continue to fight for fair and
equitable settlements for all those damaged

Stopped the Forest
Service from using its Office of Law Enforcement Investigations against
employees

First employee
organization to demand that Farm Service Agency officials both political/career
be removed due to widespread discriminatory practices against employees/farmers
of the country, especially egregious against Black farmers.

Partnered with National
Black Farmer Association to become "The Cornerstone" for creating and demanding
the new evolutionary civil rights environment at USDA.

Demanded that speedy
and fair complaint processing for employees/customers be implemented to reduce
the continuing complaint backlog.

Demanded removal of
civil rights directors that head offices that are dysfunctional, implement
personal agendas and mistreat employees. 

Demanded that the USDA
administrative process be open to farmers seeking speedy resolution of their
complaints, while supporting farmers choosing to simultaneously join a class
action mediation process before Judge Paul Friedman. Lucas is concurrently
demanding the swift processing of employee complaints.

Signed Memorandum of
Understanding between USDA Forest Service (FS), National Black Farmers
Association,(NBFA) and Lawrence C. Lucas, President, "The Coalition" a
partnership to improve information and technical assistance to the under-served
farmers/landowners. Coalition Presidents and representatives will continue to be
involved in the implementation of this historic agreement.

The
Coalition is responsible for resolving complaints by employees and farmers
leading to settlements amounting to millions of dollars. In some cases, money
was not the issue; but improved work environment, awards and training. Lucas has
been involved in resolving some of the most high profile employee cases around
the country.