Just Harvest

Author: Greg A. Francis

Just Harvest: The Story of How Black Farmers Won the Largest Civil Rights Case Against the U.S. Government details the improbable story of how an African-American attorney helped orchestrate the largest civil rights discrimination settlement in US history. Greg Francis provides readers with behind-the-scenes details of a class-action lawsuit that led to about 18,000 Black farmers, mostly from the South, receiving checks totaling $1.2 billion.

In this gripping underdog story, Francis details how so many Black farmers, who were promised forty acres and a mule more than a century ago, faced decades of systemic discrimination by federal officials, who denied them loans and other assistance because of the color of their skin. At issue was the inability of Black farmers, or other Blacks who wanted to farm, to get loans and grants from the US Department of Agriculture as a result of discrimination at local offices, primarily in the Southeast. The systemic discrimination caused Black farmers to lose 80 percent of their land. In 1910, there were 925,000 African-American farms in the US. Today, there are fewer than 18,000.

Against all odds, Francis, a Panamian-born African-American, and his team of lawyers were determined to do something about it.

About the Author

Francis began his legal career in 1994 as an associate with a statewide defense firm specializing in medical malpractice defense, nursing home defense and municipal defense.

In 2001, Francis joined the law firm of Morgan and Morgan, P.A., as a Partner, focusing his practice on medical malpractice, police misconduct, wrongful death and catastrophic personal injury cases. From 2004-2006, Morgan & Morgan, P.A., participated in a joint venture with famed trial lawyer Johnny Cochran to open an office in Miami, Florida where Francis served as the co-managing partner. After achieving great success with The Cochran Firm, Francis became a shareholder of Morgan & Morgan, P.A. As the firm expanded, Francis was instrumental in opening new offices in Atlanta, Georgia and Jackson, Mississippi. He held the position of managing partner for the Jackson, Mississippi office from its inception through 2014, Francis also served on the firm’s Executive Committee.

In 2018, Francis joined longtime friend and colleague Joseph A. Osborne in forming their own firm, Osborne & Francis, PLLC. The firm has offices in Boca Raton and Orlando. Their firm will focus primarily on product liability, medical device litigation, pharmaceutical litigation, medical malpractice and personal injury litigation.