Today President Obama signed the Claims Resolution Act of 2010. This act, among other things, provides funding for the settlement agreements reached in the Cobell lawsuit, brought by Native Americans; the Pigford II lawsuit, brought by black  farmers; and four separate water rights suits, brought by Native American tribes. The signing of this bill will provide $1.5 billion to settle claims with black farmers and $3.4 billion to settle with Native American farmers. As Jamilah King wrote for ColorLines, the payout has been a long, long time coming. Here’s the history.