The Agriculture Secretary discusses the final report of recommendations by the Department’s Equity Commission. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
Thomas J. Vilsack.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) held its inaugural National Equity Summit to celebrate the work of the USDA Equity Commission and recommit to the progress the Department has made under the Biden-Harris Administration to improve access and inclusion in its programs and services.
The National Equity Summit is the official forum whereby the USDA Equity Commission, comprised of independent members from diverse backgrounds who have a personal or professional interest in USDA’s mission and services, delivered their Final Report to the Secretary of Agriculture. Simultaneously, USDA published “A New Path Forward: A Progress Report on the Implementation of the Equity Commission’s Recommendations” to provide an overview on the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Equity Commission’s Interim Report (PDF, 1.2 MB), which was published in February 2023 and highlights the work that USDA will continue to do to make its programs and service more equitable.
“Over the past three years, under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA has worked to take significant and meaningful actions to address issues still being felt as a result of a system that has not been equitable for generations and ensure that the promise of America can be achieved in every community across the country,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “USDA remains committed to charting a future that creates, not diminishes, opportunity and key to this success is the hard work and dedication of the Equity Commission and its recommendations that will make forward-looking, long-lasting and transformational progress.”
Listen to more of Secretary Vilsack’s comments:
You can read the full report here (.pdf)