Tom Vilsak, head of the Department of Agriculture has said that he is reconsidering the firing of the former black USDA worker Shirley Sherrod who was director of rural development in Georgia. Sherrod was forced to resign yesterday after the conservative blog BigGovernment.com took a clip from a speech she was giving at a local NAACP banquet in Georgia. In the clip she tells a story about her initial reactions to a white farmer who she felt was trying to act "superior" to her when they first met.
"I was struggling with the fact that so many black people had lost their farm land. And here I was faced with having to help a white person save their land. So, I didn't give him the full force of what I could do."
The 38 second clip went viral and Tea Party supporters tried to use the tape as proof that the NAACP condoned racism against white people. Fox News played the sound bite repeatedly. But there was way more to Ms. Sherrod's message than what had been portrayed. What they failed to mention was that Sherrod's story happened 24 years ago before she was employed at the USDA and most importantly that this experience opened her eyes to her own racism. She even helped the family to avoid foreclosure and became friends with the husband and wife.
"That's when it was revealed to me that it was about poor; those who have and those who don’t."
After the clip aired on Fox News, Tom Vilsak, head of the USDA hastily forced Sherrod to resign via a phone message on her blackberry. Vilsak defended his move yesterday stating the USDA's "zero tolerance for discrimination". The White House backed Vilsak's decision and the NAACP released a statement saying they supported Sherrod's ouster and condoned her remarks as well.
Sherrod reached out to the media to explain that her story was not about how racist she is towards white people, but about racial reconciliation and learning from her mistakes. The Spooners, the farmer family that Sherrod referred to in her speech, were contacted and had this to say about Sherrod:
"We probably wouldn't have (our farm) today if it hadn't been for her leading us in the right direction," says Eloise Spooner. "I wish she could get her job back because she was good to us, I tell you."
Tom Vilsak, the White House, and the NAACP, all supported Shirley Sherrod's firing without conducting a thorough investigation or viewing the entire tape. After Sherrod spoke to the media about her statement's being taken out of context, Vilsak said in a second statement that Sherrod's controversial comments could cause people to question her decisions as a federal employee and fuel doubts about the agencies past discriminatory practices.
The irony is that the USDA has been under fire for discriminating for decades against black farmers. One of the most famous lawsuits regarding black farmer discrimination by the USDA was Pigford v. Glickman which was a class action lawsuit entered in 1997 and settled in 1999. Timothy Pigford and 400 other black farmers alleged that the USDA discriminated against them for farm loans and assistance. The case ruled that the USDA had not just discriminated against black farmers but when discrimination was reported, the USDA neither investigated nor responded to the complaints. Still, more than 14,000 civil rights claims were filed against the USDA during the Bush Administration. But when a black employee gets smeared and accused of being a racist for not helping one white family 24 years ago, she is fired without investigation.
The NAACP has retracted their condemnation of Sherrod's statements admitting that they were duped by the Tea Party. However the retraction may not be enough. Sherrod said that she was particularly hurt by the NAACP's actions. "All of my life has been about civil rights work and fairness". Tom Vilsak has since said that he is reconsidering the firing of Sherrod. However, Sherrod said in an interview she's not sure she would accept the job, saying, "I'm just not sure how I would be treated there."
The full video of Sharrod's speech can be seen here. The sound bite Fox News used is at 17:00. Let us know what you think!
Photo courtesy of Washington State Republicans
