It has been two months since we first heard news of the British Petroleum (BP) blunder that turned out to be the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. In that time, we've heard get-tough rhetoric from the White House, seen live video of the crude oil spewing into the water and even heard the lamentations of fearful people in Gulf Coast communities.

But we've rarely heard the plight of the black fishermen whose existence depends on the marine life which the oil spill is rapidly destroying every day. Fishermen of all backgrounds are threatened, but black fishermen in the Gulf are most vulnerable during a disaster. Many of the boats and equipment they use are leased and the fishermen are often uninsured; it was black fishermen who fared worse after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Luckily the fishermen have people on their side - black farmers - who happen to understand, first hand, what they've been going through. ''We are concerned about the livelihood of those who make their living on the land and in the coastal waters who are affected by the oil spill," said John W. Boyd Jr., president of the National Black Farmers Association (NBFA).

The NBFA know what it's like to find its chain yanked - they waited years to get a class action lawsuit settled against the U.S. Department of Agriculture for discrimination. Ultimate justice is still being held up in that caseand the farmers must wait for their due.



Although the fishermen are dealing with BP instead of the federal government, they must now wait to see if something will happen in their favor. Right now, it doesn't look good. Although a containment cap is in place at the source of the undersea geyser, millions of barrels of oil have either hit or are floating toward waters that Alabama and Louisiana fishermen make their livings from.



In a statement, Boyd vowed to defend the fishermen who are suffering a similar plight to his farmers, saying that they ''must be compensated at the same levels as whites. We have finished last for too long when it comes to being compensated for our business and farm losses.''



The black fisherman community is small in the Gulf Coast region. Only a handful of fishermen exist, but like their white counterparts they are third and fourth-generation seafood catchers and would have nowhere to turn if their businesses collapsed.


"BP's response to black farmers and black fisherman thus far has been unacceptable. I aim to press BP for justice for NBFA members and other people of color in this catastrophe,' said Boyd.