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Black Unity was the newsletter of the Agriculture Task Force Against Racial Discrimination (ATFARD) 1971-75. ATFARD was an affiliate of the umbrella group in the Washington, D.C. area Government Employees United Against Racial Discrimination (GUARD).
ATFARD acted as an advocacy group of rank-and-file employees at the Department of Agriculture (both Washington, D.C. and Beltsville, MD), held occasional protests, sponsored speakers, represented employees in discrimination complaints, published a newsletter that also built solidarity with other GUARD affiliates, weighed in on contemporary issues, urged participation in African Liberation Day (1972-73) and the Children’s March Against Hunger (1972), and published Black History articles, among other activities.
The umbrella group GUARD was active at upwards of two dozen departments and agencies, including Health, Education & Welfare, Library of Congress, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, National Institutes of Health, Commerce Department, and the District of Columbia Government. GUARD was headed for a time by Reginal Booker, the anti-freeway activist leader.
A February 1973 history published by the ATFARD reads:
“On April 17, 1971, in the People's cafeteria located in the 5th wing on the 6th floor, a rally was held to get the attention of Black employees of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The main issue was and still is racial discriminatory practices in hiring and promoting policies of the Department.
“Guest speakers at the rally included John Gibson, Urban League, Len Ball, Urban League and Reggie booker, former Chairman of GUARD (Government Employees United Against Racial Discrimination). These truly Black and skillful speakers strove to enlighten the Black people of Agriculture of their mission--The mission to bring our people together as one and to deal with and get on the case of racial
discriminatory practices in the Department of Agriculture.
“As a result, concerned employees met at All Souls Unitarian Church the following Thursday and formed the Agriculture Task Force Against Racial Discrimination. To date, ATFARD has grown department-wide and has strengthened immensely.
“It publishes a monthly newsletter, Black Unity, which keeps the
employees well informed. Goals include:
1.To exert maximum community pressure to attract racial segregation and discrimination in the Department of Agriculture.
2.To become the Department's "EEO Conscience", speaking out against injustices to Blacks and other minorities, using radio, television and other means of mass communication. To increase the hiring and promotion of Blacks and other minorities in the Department of Agriculture.
3.To encourage Black employees, as individuals and as groups, to file complaints and to develop a pool of persons willing to represent them during the complaint process.
4.To provide a forum where the rank-and-file Agricultural Workers can express their determination to protest discrimination, using whatever means necessary.”
Original copies of Black Unity are held at the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Library, Special Collections.
Available issues of the newsletter Black Unity:
Vol. 1 No. 8 – February 1972 - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-1-...
Vol. 2 No. 3 – September 1972 - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-2-...
Vol. 2 No. 4 – October 1972 - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-2-...
Vol. 2 No. 5 – November 1972 - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-2-...
Vol. 2 No. 6 – December 1972 - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-2-...
Vol. 2 No. 8 – February 1973 - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-2-...
Vol. 2 No. 9 – March 1973 - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-2-...
Vol. 2 No. 10 – April 1973 - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-2-...
Vol. 2 No. 11 – May 1973 - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-2-...
Vol. 2 No. 12 – June 1973 - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-2-...
Vol. 3 No. 1 – July 1973 - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-3-...
Vol. 3 No. 2 – August 1973 - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-3-...
Vol. 3 No. 3 – October 1973 - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-3-...
Vol. 3 No. 4 – November 1973- washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-3-...
Vol. 3 No. 5 – February 1974 - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-3-...
Vol. 3 No. 6 – March 1974 - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-3-...
Vol. 3 No. 7 – April 1974 - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-3-...
Vol. 3 No. 6 – May 1974 (duplicate number) - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-3-...
Vol. 3 No. 9 – June/July 1974 (number out of order) - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-3-...
Vol. 3 No. 8 – August 1974 - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-3-...
Vol. 3 No. 11 – November 1974 - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-3-...
Vol. 4 No. 1 – January 1975 - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-4-...
Vol. 4 No. 2 – April 1975 - washingtonareaspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vol-4-...
Edwards EST (SIGA-278) fire alarm pull station at Greenbelt station in Prince George's County, Maryland.
Ben Schumin is a professional photographer who captures the intricacies of daily life. This image is all rights reserved. Contact me directly for licensing information.
Ellenco 450D fire alarm horn in a corridor at 5000 Sunnyside Avenue, a small three-story office building built in 1984 in Beltsville, Maryland.
Ben Schumin is a professional photographer who captures the intricacies of daily life. This image is all rights reserved. Contact me directly for licensing information.
Sunroc-branded water fountain in a corridor niche at 5000 Sunnyside Avenue, a small three-story office building built in 1984 in Beltsville, Maryland.
Ben Schumin is a professional photographer who captures the intricacies of daily life. This image is all rights reserved. Contact me directly for licensing information.
Ellenco 5C fire alarm pull station at 5000 Sunnyside Avenue, a small three-story office building built in 1984 in Beltsville, Maryland.
Ben Schumin is a professional photographer who captures the intricacies of daily life. This image is all rights reserved. Contact me directly for licensing information.
Wheelock AS fire alarm horn/strobe in a corridor at 5000 Sunnyside Avenue, a small three-story office building built in 1984 in Beltsville, Maryland. This horn/strobe presumably replaced an Ellenco horn that stopped working at some point.
Ben Schumin is a professional photographer who captures the intricacies of daily life. This image is all rights reserved. Contact me directly for licensing information.
Ellenco 5C fire alarm pull station at 5000 Sunnyside Avenue, a small three-story office building built in 1984 in Beltsville, Maryland.
Ben Schumin is a professional photographer who captures the intricacies of daily life. This image is all rights reserved. Contact me directly for licensing information.
Corridor at 5000 Sunnyside Avenue, a small three-story office building built in 1984 in Beltsville, Maryland.
Ben Schumin is a professional photographer who captures the intricacies of daily life. This image is all rights reserved. Contact me directly for licensing information.
Ellenco 450D fire alarm horn in a corridor at 5000 Sunnyside Avenue, a small three-story office building built in 1984 in Beltsville, Maryland.
Ben Schumin is a professional photographer who captures the intricacies of daily life. This image is all rights reserved. Contact me directly for licensing information.
Sign on the door of a women's restroom at 5000 Sunnyside Avenue, a small three-story office building built in 1984 in Beltsville, Maryland. The sign asks that in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases, to flush the toilet twice and wash hands for a minimum of twenty seconds.
Ben Schumin is a professional photographer who captures the intricacies of daily life. This image is all rights reserved. Contact me directly for licensing information.
Corridor at 5000 Sunnyside Avenue, a small three-story office building built in 1984 in Beltsville, Maryland.
Ben Schumin is a professional photographer who captures the intricacies of daily life. This image is all rights reserved. Contact me directly for licensing information.
Wheelock AS fire alarm horn/strobe in a corridor at 5000 Sunnyside Avenue, a small three-story office building built in 1984 in Beltsville, Maryland. This horn/strobe presumably replaced an Ellenco horn that stopped working at some point.
Ben Schumin is a professional photographer who captures the intricacies of daily life. This image is all rights reserved. Contact me directly for licensing information.
Ellenco 5C fire alarm pull station at 5000 Sunnyside Avenue, a small three-story office building built in 1984 in Beltsville, Maryland.
Ben Schumin is a professional photographer who captures the intricacies of daily life. This image is all rights reserved. Contact me directly for licensing information.
Ellenco 450D fire alarm horn in a corridor at 5000 Sunnyside Avenue, a small three-story office building built in 1984 in Beltsville, Maryland.
Ben Schumin is a professional photographer who captures the intricacies of daily life. This image is all rights reserved. Contact me directly for licensing information.
Corridor at 5000 Sunnyside Avenue, a small three-story office building built in 1984 in Beltsville, Maryland.
Ben Schumin is a professional photographer who captures the intricacies of daily life. This image is all rights reserved. Contact me directly for licensing information.
Ellenco 450D fire alarm horn in a corridor at 5000 Sunnyside Avenue, a small three-story office building built in 1984 in Beltsville, Maryland.
Ben Schumin is a professional photographer who captures the intricacies of daily life. This image is all rights reserved. Contact me directly for licensing information.
Ellenco 5C fire alarm pull station at 5000 Sunnyside Avenue, a small three-story office building built in 1984 in Beltsville, Maryland.
Ben Schumin is a professional photographer who captures the intricacies of daily life. This image is all rights reserved. Contact me directly for licensing information.
