The Senate is facing renewed calls to finalize a $1.25 billion settlement for African American farmers in a class action lawsuit over longtime racial discrimination. The settlement was reached earlier this year, but Republicans have blocked the required congressional approval. On Tuesday, the head of the National Black Farmers Association, John Boyd, appeared outside a federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan with a mule, intended to symbolize the Civil War-era promises to freed black slaves. Speaking to Tavis Smiley of PBS, Boyd called for a cloture vote on the settlement by the end of the month.

John Boyd: “I’m interested in a cloture vote before the end of the month of September so that the black farmers can receive their settlement. This just has been going on too long. This has been going on too long. And if this fails, it’s not just a failure for the black farmers; this is a failure for black people in this country, and it would be a failure for the American people, if we can’t get this done.”