After more than a decade, the Senate has approved a bill to fund a $1.25 billion settlement for black farmers who were discrimated against by the U.S. government.

The bill, which had been held up in the Senate, was approved by unanimous consent vote. It was the tenth time the bill had come up for a vote in the Senate.

"This is long, long, long overdue," John Boyd, founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association told Aol BlackVoices in an interview shortly after the vote was finalized. "This is a step in the right direction for America and race relations. It shows when you have a race-related problem you can get justice. Every time they told us no, we kept pushing forward."

Black farmers successfully sued the federal government and the United States Department of Agriculture for blatantly denying them access to low-interest loans and farm subsidies, while granting these same benefits to white farmers. When black farmers did receive loans, they were often at a rate higher than those offered to white farmers. Equipment grants and subsidies often came too late and without explanation, as farming is an extremely time sensitive endeavor.

The federal government first settled Pigford v. Glickman in 1999, paying out more than $980 million to 16,000 farmers, but many of the black farmers who were discriminated against were not properly notified or given enough time to join the suit.

As a result, a 2007 farm bill introduced by then senator, now President Barack Obama reopened the settlement and the $1.25 billion figure was agreed upon. But the payment has not made it through the Senate, because it was a part of larger bills that were voted down. The bill has passed the House twice but failed at least seven times in the Senate.

"I am pleased these long-suffering Americans can now receive the closure that they deserve," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada told CNN. "The agreement that we reached shows what can happen when Democrats and Republicans come together to do the right thing."



Also approved in the bill was a $3.4 billion fund to settle charges that the government mishandled money from the Native American Land Trust.

Boyd said he believes the difference was an effort to reach out to Republicans. Sen.Tom Coburn among others had previously blocked the bill. Boyd said he made an effort to explain that farmers would still have to apply for the settlement and have their cases heard before a payout was issued.

The average payout is expected to be about $50,000. Boyd said he will begin meeting with black farmers, some of whom have little to no formal education, to help them prepare their cases.

"It will not put black farmers back into business but it does give vindication and it is a form of justice," Boyd said. "For a black farmer who is older and can't pay their light bill $50,000 can make a big difference."

Boyd said Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa was instrumental in working the Republican side of the aisle while Reid was dilligent about shepherding the bill through.

The bill now heads to the House where Boyd said leaders there have told him they will fast track it during this lame duck session after they return from Thanksgiving break.

"I think we have a much smoother path in the House than in the Senate," Boyd said.

Obama also praised the passage of the bill.

"I applaud the Senate for passing the Claims Settlement Act of 2010, which will at long last provide funding for the agreements reached in the Pigford II lawsuit, brought by African American farmers, and the Cobell lawsuit, brought by Native Americans over the management of Indian trust accounts and resources," Obama said in a statement. "I urge the House to move forward with this legislation as they did earlier this year, and I look forward to signing it into law,"

Boyd has been critical of Obama in the past. But over the last few weeks the president's senior staff has been fully engaged, he said.

"I have been critical of the president in the past about not being more vocal," said Boyd. "But helping to get this settlement done will send the right signal to black America that we are part of his agenda."

An exited Boyd said he won't stop until black farmers get justice.

"It took too long and many died at the plow but justice is still sweet tonight," he said.