USDA’s Shirley Sherrod Disputes Clip of ‘Racist’ NAACP Banquet Comments
» 82 comments
In the latest in a series of racially-charged summer shark-week stories, USDA official Shirley Sherrod has resigned over a Breitbart-promoted YouTube clip that shows a portion of her March 27 speech at an NAACP banquet. In the clip, Sherrod talks about resenting a white farmer’s condescending attitude, and as a result, not giving him “the full force of what I could do.”
The NAACP and the Secretary of Agriculture have weighed in, but there may be more to this story than meets YouTube’s 2-minute eye.
Here’s the clip that Breitbart posted:
And here’s an example of how this clip is being shown by cable newsers. This one’s from Morning Joe, this morning:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
As it’s being presented, the clip is utterly indefensible, and the NAACP was quick to denounce Sherrod:
We are appalled by her actions, just as we are with abuses of power against farmers of color and female farmers.
Her actions were shameful. While she went on to explain in the story that she ultimately realized her mistake, as well as the common predicament of working people of all races, she gave no indication she had attempted to right the wrong she had done to this man.
The clip that’s being promoted is obviously cut from a larger context, and while this is often the dishonest refuge of radio shock jocks, in this case, it makes a real difference. Here’s what Sherrod told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
But Tuesday morning, Sherrod said what online viewers weren’t told in reports posted throughout the day Monday was that the tale she told at the banquet happened 24 years ago — before she got the USDA job — when she worked with the Georgia field office for the Federation of Southern Cooperative/Land Assistance Fund.
Sherrod said the short video clip excluded the breadth of the story about how she eventually worked with the man over a two-year period to help ward off foreclosure of his farm, and how she eventually became friends with him and his wife.
“And I went on to work with many more white farmers,” she said. “The story helped me realize that race is not the issue, it’s about the people who have and the people who don’t. When I speak to groups, I try to speak about getting beyond the issue of race.”
Sherrod said the farmer, Roger Spooner of Iron City, Ga., has since died.
It doesn’t seem that Ben Jealous or Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack are aware that Sherrod wasn’t working at USDA when this occurred, or that she did, in fact, help the farmer in question. That changes everything about this story, including the reaction of the crowd. The entire point of the story is that her actions were indefensible.
If what Sherrod says is true, this is not a story about grudgingly admitting that even white folks need help, but rather, a powerful, redemptive cautionary tale against discrimination of any kind. Both the AJC and Mediaite are working to locate a full video or transcript of the event.
This incident is being posed as the right’s answer to the NAACP resolution against “racist elements” in the Tea Party. This story also comes at a time when the New Black Panther Party has been thrust into the spotlight by Fox News (with predictable results), and debate rages over an Arizona immigration law that many say encourages racial profiling.
This is precisely the danger of ideologically-driven “journalism.” It is one thing to have a point of view that informs your analysis of facts, but quite abother when that point of view causes you to alter them.
Update: Sherrod was interviewed by CNN this morning. In it, she says that she explained herself to the USDA, to no avail. Here’s video of that interview, followed by a transcript:
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. Department of Agriculture accepts the resignation of an employee after a video surfaced showing her telling an audience that she withheld assistance to a white farmer because of his race. Let’s listen to what she told the NAACP.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHIRLEY SHERROD, FORMER USDA WORKER: 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. I did enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Does that video tell the whole story? Joining us now on the phone from Albany, Georgia is Shirley Sherrod, herself. Thanks for being with us this morning, Shirley.
SHERROD: Thank you.
CHETRY: You say that this was part of the story and that it was part that was spliced enough to show you in a bad light, that this isn’t the whole story. Will you finish for us how this ended?
SHERROD: OK. I was speaking to that group like I’ve done many groups, and I tell them about a time when I thought the issue was race and race only. And I tell them the story of how I’ve worked with a white farmer back in 1986. I was not working for the Department of Agriculture. I was working with a non-profit organization assisting farmers throughout South Georgia and the Southeast. And this farmer came to me for help. I was telling the story about how working with him helped me to see that the issue is not about race, it’s about those who have versus those who do not have.
And I tell how I took him to a lawyer who I thought would help him. In the end, that lawyer didn’t. In the end, I had to frantically look for a lawyer because when USDA lifted — I’m sorry. When the court lifted the injunction against USDA in May of 1987, this white farmer was one of 13 that was foreclosed on by the state of Georgia. I had to frantically find a lawyer who would file a chapter 11 to stop the foreclosure. He couldn’t — at that time, we had up to 12.
CHETRY: Yes. But let me just get back really quickly, you said you didn’t give them the full force of what you could do. You said you did enough, and then you referred to the race (ph) of the lawyer as well saying that perhaps because the lawyer was white, that he would help him. So, what did you mean by that?
SHERROD: What I meant was, I didn’t know anyone else, but it thought taking — I didn’t know another lawyer at that time who was local, who knew something about chapter 12. But I thought if I took him to a white lawyer, he would definitely do all that he could to help save his farm.
ROBERTS: Miss Sherrod, let’s make it clear though, that this happened 24 years ago. You eventually worked with this white farmer. You eventually became friends, you say, with the farmer and his wife.
SHERROD: Yes.
ROBERTS: So, the question I have is, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture came to you and said you have to step down, why didn’t you just say, wait a minute, you don’t know the full story. Here’s the full story, why should I step down?
SHERROD: I did say that, but they, for some reason, the stuff that Fox and the Tea Party does is scaring the administration. I told them get the whole tape and look at the whole tape and look at how I tell people we have to get beyond race and start working together.
ROBERTS: Many people at home might be thinking if you’re recounting an old story, why did you succumb to pressure to step down, why didn’t you fight this?
SHERROD: If I tried to fight it and didn’t have any support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, what would I do?
CHETRY: Let me ask you this. Did you talk to the NAACP about it because I just want to read from our audience what Ben Jealous, the president said. He said referring to you and this surfacing of the tape, “her actions were shameful. While she went on to explain in the story, she ultimately realized her mistake as well as the common predicament of working people of all races. She gave no indication she’d attempted to right the wrong she had done to this man. And the reaction from many in the audience is disturbing.”
This is from Ben Jealous. Did you try to clarify with the NAACP your story?
SHERROD: No, I haven’t had had a chance to talk to anyone. All of this was happening so fast. And it’s unfortunate that the NAACP would make a statement without even checking to see what happened. This was 24 years ago, and I’m telling a story to try to unite people with that now.
ROBERTS: Certainly, you’re coming out and telling your story now takes it to a different level, and obviously, we’re going to keep following this. It’s good to get your side of it.
Sherri Sherrod, former Agriculture Department official. Thanks for joining us this morning. And perhaps, we can get you back on again, get your face on TV as well and talk to you more about this as the story continues to develop.
SHERROD: I don’t mind.
ROBERTS: All right. Thanks so much.
CHETRY: Thanks a lot.
Update 2: Eloise Spooner, the wife of the farmer in question, is defending Sherrod. From an interview with the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
But (Eloise) Spooner, who considers Sherrod a “friend for life,” said the federal official worked tirelessly to help the Iron City couple hold onto their land as they faced bankruptcy back in 1986.
“Her husband told her, ‘You’re spending more time with the Spooners than you are with me,’ ” Spooner told the AJC. “She took probably two or three trips with us to Albany just to help us out.”
Spooner called Sherrod Tuesday morning.
“She’s very sad about it,” Spooner said. “She told me she was so glad we talked. I just can’t believe this is happening to her.”
The Department of Agriculture has not returned calls for comment. According to a staffer, NAACP President Ben Jealous is in meetings now, hammering out an official statement on these revelations.
Update 3: The NAACP says it is investigating “facts that were not what we were given last night.” A spokesperson told me “We’re doing a full investigation, instead of facts that are trickling in, we’re going to speak with Ms. Sherrod, look at the full tape, speak with the farmer(’s wife), and once we’re done with that investigation, we will release a statement.”
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82 comments
If all this is true then she absolutely should not have lost her job. In fact, it sounds like she has an important redemptive story to tell. Context is everything and so is content of character.
Hey Tommy, while you’re doing your investigatino to exonerate Sherrod, can you look into this as well (unless of course, you have not interest in the truth with it comes to the tea-parties):
Busted: Dishonest Hacks at Think Progress Caught Manufacturing Another Fake Racist Tea Party
THINK PROGRESS IS BUSTED AGAIN!
The far left Soros-funded outfit does not just produce bogus films…
They write bogus articles, too.
The horrible far left hacks at Think Progress once again were caught lying about supposed racism in the tea party movement. On Monday they posted some random editorial – from early July – published in a New Hampshire paper – by some lone racist and try to link him to the tea party…. But if you read the whole editorial you see that “tea party” is not even mentioned in the racist editorial! The tea party is not linked to this racist in anyway.
Think Progress just took an editorial written by some random racist and then they threw tea party on the title of their post. What horrible dishonest cranks.
Here is the entire editorial from the Concord Monitor:
As Think Progress reported, the New Hampshire racist was disowned as a candidate by the GOP who called him a “despicable racist” and a “fraud.” Murdough has no love lost for the GOP, complaining, “they’ve sold white people out.”
Think Progress also admits that they don’t even know if Murdough is a tea partier. But, he did mention “tea party” in the comment’s section of the July article and therefore, according to these radical hacks at Think Progress, that proves that the tea party is racist.
Got that? The tea party is racist because some white supremist mentioned their name. Using this same logic, Obama is Al-Qaeda because he was mentioned in a Zawahiri tape. Hillary Clinton is part of the Taliban because they mentioned her in a tape.
This is insane and extremely dishonest. But, when you’ve got nothing and the unemployment rate is close to 10%, the record deficit is going over a trillion dollars, the country is broke and the president’s radical policies are unpopular across America, you make up lies to protect your radical associates.
What a disgusting dishonest website
.
http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/07/busted-filthy-dishonest-hacks-at-think-progress-caught-manufacturing-another-fake-racist-tea-party-story/
:
Where is the full tape and why are we allowing Breitbart to do this? This should relegate him and his website to national enquirer status!
As it’s being presented, the clip is utterly indefensible, and the NAACP was quick to denounce Sherrod:
Apparently, this is a new definition of the word “quick.” To me, “quick” would have been denouncing it somewhere around March 27 or 28th… NOT MONTHS AFTERWARDS! They were “quick to denounce” once it came to the public, but when it was live at their event, they weren’t bothered by it. Funny what a little publicity will do… also funny how “quick” things happen then.
This is precisely the danger of ideologically-driven “journalism.” It is one thing to have a point of view that informs your analysis of facts, but quite abother when that point of view causes you to alter them.
Says the opinion columnist and White House correspondent who has never had trouble defending a Liberal or a Democrat, or “altering” the story to attack and criticize Republicans. I’ll start talking about the pot and the kettle… but I’m pretty sure someone would see that as “racist.”
“Sherrod talks about resenting a white farmer’s condescending attitude, and as a result, not giving him “the full force of what I could do.””
As usual, CNN (and blogs like Mediaite) always work diligently to find ways to defend black racists. She was not only on AM, but also on with Tony Harris, who didn’t even know that the farmer was still alive.
This woman’s comments speak for themselves. You guys can try and twist her words anyway you want, but this was a racist comment. Again double standards on CNN and in the MSM.
This is the comment I meant to quote:
SHIRLEY SHERROD, FORMER USDA WORKER: 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. I did enough.
“As usual, CNN (and blogs like Mediaite) always work diligently to find ways to defend black racists” libra blue
Otherwise known as Bend Over Grease Up.
Does she dispute telling the audience to get jobs with the USDA because African Americans never get fired from government jobs?
I had no doubt her *but* at the end of the clip was some sort of “but I learned it’s not about black and white” or something, but I don’t think that negates the point that she held a racist attitude toward white farmers, and didn’t help him because of her racism, nor the reaction of the audience.
And NAACP are the ones who said:
Maybe if the NAACP wasn’t spending their time going after the Tea Party, and spreading lies (spit-gate and n-word-gate) and taking care of their own *house* and focusing on real civil liberties issues, and setting themselves up to look like massive hypocrites, they wouldn’t have been so quick to toss her under the bus.
Put it this way, Sherrod got as much benefit of doubt as the tea partiers have. And for those who are going to want to argue that point – the tea partiers were called racist from day ONE.
As Ed Morrisey from Hot Air said, “The NAACP is about to learn one of the most basic of all lessons in life — those who live in glass houses should avoid provoking a stone-throwing war.”
If we cleared out everyone who ever did anything racist, there’d be almost no one left in government (not that that would necessarily be bad…)
But I will continue to fight for the context to be known prior to judgment.
The whole -gate thing can just die, now.
NAACP RALLY SPEAKER: “For every casket and funeral in our [black] community, there should be a casket and funeral in the [white] enemy’s community.”
Racism?… What Racism?
Yesterday Big Government broke video of a USDA official, Shirley Sherrod, recounting for attendees at an NAACP awards dinner how she withheld help from a white farmer seeking the agency’s help in saving his farm. The crowd in attendance at the NAACP event was not fazed by the admission.
Shirley Sherrod resigned from her post last night after the the story broke.
But the story of NAACP racism does not end there. This former civil rights organization has long history of allowing disgusting, vile, racist, anti-Semitic speakers to address their members.
Another significant incidence of NAACP racism occurred back in 2000 at the “Redeem the Dream” march and rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.
David Horowitz at Front Page Magazine reported on this racist display at the Lincoln Memorial back in September 2000.
Sharpton’s event was held on August 26th at the Lincoln Memorial and was co-hosted by Martin Luther King III (just to make the connection). Its purpose was to commemorate the victory over government-enforced segregation in the South – and to claim, at the same time, that government racism was as big a problem as ever. One could hardly imagine a more embarrassing caricature of King’s triumph than this carnival of sham grievances (“Free Mumia!”) and double standards (white racists bad, black racists ok). Unlike Martin Luther King’s great march, which deliberately excluded the Nation of Islam, Sharpton’s platform embraced Farrakhan and other black promoters of racial hate. Speaker after speaker celebrated a totalitarian unity of the race – the NAACP and Farrakhan, the National Council of Negro Women and the “New Black Panthers.” There was even an “I Have A Black Dream” speech (in exactly those words), delivered by Malik Zulu Shabazz, the “Minister of Justice” of the new Panther Party whose national chairman is the raving anti-white, anti-Jew, anti-Catholic, anti-gay Khalid Muhammad. Zulu Shabazz’s “black dream” was that “for every casket and funeral in our community there should be a casket and funeral in the enemy’s community.”
Not only was there no reaction to thinly veiled incitements to race war, the message itself was not so different from the thematic slogan of the march: “No justice, no peace.” This is a threat of civil mayhem, which Sharpton has made his mantra (it flashes on his website, right above the photo of his booster, Bill Bradley http://www.nationalaction.net). A Farrakhan emissary named Ishmael Muhammad appeared at the podium to do a pale imitation of the master, who had sent his “Queen” to represent him. As boxing promoter Don King (introduced as “a philanthropist”) actually did sum it all up: “Only in America.”
http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/07/naacp-speaker-for-every-casket-and-funeral-in-our-black-community-there-should-be-a-casket-and-funeral-in-the-white-enemys-community/
Regardless of the conclusions made by the USDA and the NAACP, is the media template going to be that Sherrod’s actions took place 24 years ago, and she was wrongfully forced to resign as a result of pressure from Fox News and the Tea Party? Will Sherrod be made out as the victim by a sympathetic press?
Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2010/07/20/disgraced-usda-official-blames-fox-news-and-tea-party-her-dismissal#ixzz0uF0b1BlY
According to Tommy’s article, I’d say that would be a yes….
I agree it’s over used, but it is way easier to write “spit gate” than “when members of the black caucus accused tea partiers of spitting on them which was proved false, and have since backtracked on what happened, which has been supported with video evident.
So, sorry, I will most likely continue to use it.
I think that would totally work if you added in the ‘-’ between each word!
Wow a 24 year old incident Sherrod was engaged in before she worked for the USDA. And she worked two years to help that farmer save his farm and the farmers wife said she helped them and that she thinks the attacks are unjust. And she said the incident “opened her eyes” that her attitude wasn’t “right”. Sherrod was fired by the Obama Adminsitration (thought the Pres. protected ALL Blacks) for a 24 year old “racist” event that she tried to make up for. B
As opposed to Baggers carrying Racist signs in 2009 and 2010. And writing “letters from the colored” last week. And giving Mark Williams a prominent place in their Organization. (Thought Baggers aren’t Racist). Finally expelling him after a year and a half of promoting Bagger racism.
Tommy, seems you are really denouncing the Obama admin (dept of Agriculture ), NAACP and Brietbart. You shot down 3 entities with one article.
Understand Briebart angle/motives, but one has to wonder why NAACP and Admin would show such intolerance with their actions. Especially when Ms. Sherrod explained the context and Admin still fired her. Intolerant given the angle and context of your article.
Full tape from NAACP banquet would be nice, but as you mentioned, NAACP was ‘quick’ to denounce and stated how appalled they were. Their banquet, so I assume they know the context. I didn’t expect this type of intolerance. Makes one wonder.
haha
The media template should be to show the entire clip before passing judgment. If this were someone on your side, you’d want the same. The only agenda the media should pursue is the truth.
It would be nice if Mr. Christopher worked as hard to get to the bottom of all his stories.
@MichelleF
Did that make you feel better about your “Racist” Baggers?? Don’t worry Glenn will run something tonight that you can use tomorrow to protest your Baggers.
Sorry Protect your Racist Baggers.
yes, i do want the same, for all sides. Unfortunately, the liberal media doesn’t operate that way. Just ask Think Progress. Or Journolist.
And doesn’t the responsibility lie with the NAACP and USDA to get to the bottom of the facts, before they toss her out? You can’t blame Breitbart for her firing.
Hey yweston, I’d love to get your spin on this:
Another significant incidence of NAACP racism occurred back in 2000 at the “Redeem the Dream” march and rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.
David Horowitz at Front Page Magazine reported on this racist display at the Lincoln Memorial back in September 2000.
Sharpton’s event was held on August 26th at the Lincoln Memorial and was co-hosted by Martin Luther King III (just to make the connection). Its purpose was to commemorate the victory over government-enforced segregation in the South – and to claim, at the same time, that government racism was as big a problem as ever. One could hardly imagine a more embarrassing caricature of King’s triumph than this carnival of sham grievances (“Free Mumia!”) and double standards (white racists bad, black racists ok). Unlike Martin Luther King’s great march, which deliberately excluded the Nation of Islam, Sharpton’s platform embraced Farrakhan and other black promoters of racial hate. Speaker after speaker celebrated a totalitarian unity of the race – the NAACP and Farrakhan, the National Council of Negro Women and the “New Black Panthers.” There was even an “I Have A Black Dream” speech (in exactly those words), delivered by Malik Zulu Shabazz, the “Minister of Justice” of the new Panther Party whose national chairman is the raving anti-white, anti-Jew, anti-Catholic, anti-gay Khalid Muhammad. Zulu Shabazz’s “black dream” was that “for every casket and funeral in our community there should be a casket and funeral in the enemy’s community.”
Not only was there no reaction to thinly veiled incitements to race war, the message itself was not so different from the thematic slogan of the march: “No justice, no peace.” This is a threat of civil mayhem, which Sharpton has made his mantra (it flashes on his website, right above the photo of his booster, Bill Bradley http://www.nationalaction.net). A Farrakhan emissary named Ishmael Muhammad appeared at the podium to do a pale imitation of the master, who had sent his “Queen” to represent him. As boxing promoter Don King (introduced as “a philanthropist”) actually did sum it all up: “Only in America.”
Agreed.
@atreyue, “But I will continue to fight for the context to be known prior to judgment.”
No matter how much you try to sugar coat this, her “intent” was pretty clear: In fact her words were even worse than what imus or michael richards said because she was in a position of power and people were counting on her for help.
SHIRLEY SHERROD, FORMER USDA WORKER: 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. I did enough.
This should make whites think twice before going to black professionals, especially doctors or lawyers, for any assistance. They may not give them the “full force” of what they could do.
Shirley should sue those racists at NAACP who made her resign after she went to all the trouble of working up that story . Don’t quit , Shirley , fight ….You too , Van Jones . Defend your fine record …Bon Qui Qui Jarrett wants you to come back .
The moral outrage on both sides of the NAACP/Tea Party debate is pretty laughable. Mark Williams claims that the Tea Party has no racists? Come on. Get 20 people together at a neighborhood block party and you will have a racist in your presence. And the NAACP, while they have accomplished many good things for African Americans, they are hardly the last bastion of unadulterated racial tolerance.
Read this article: Token White Member of NAACP Calls Tea Party “Racist”; Lone Black Tea Partier “Outraged”.
Very FUNNY!
http://www.dailygoat.com/?p=1798
@ImNotBlue: If she was telling a story from ‘86 (a totally different time) and if it had a moral at the end, those at the banquet would have no reason to denounce it and like the administration, when it became public and had twisted all around, Mr. Jealous over-reacted.
@RazorsEdge: I assume the administration and the NAACP over-reacted because the clip looked bad and the Dept. of Ag probably felt it easier to cut ties because an explanation could be derided as “excuses” and the guy from the NAACP apparently jumped the gun.
****NEWS FLASH**** Racism exists on both sides
What a snarky bitch you are
@Magister “assume”, “apparently”, “over-reacted”, perhaps. Admin virtually held Ms. Sherrod’s livelihood and reputation in their hands. Getting the full tape or defending her if Tommy’s context is true seems worth that. Otherwise it can come off looking like Politics and/or intolerance
Wow! Big story from Mediaite. Hmmm, wonder what got their panties in a twist? Oh, wait, I think I’m getting it…yes! This time it’s a black person being accused of racism. Gotta shut that down right away! Can’t allow anything to interfere with the Democratic Party’s mantra that only whites are racist. Whew, Tommy almost lost me on this one!
No, dear. Only the ones they can use.
Shirley . No Capitulation ! …Refudiation !
Well, no. Blacks with a chip on their shoulder, sure. Professionals who happen to be black are perfectly fine. But if you see your doc with a scalpel in one hand and doing the Black Power salute with the other, reevaluate your situation.
Circular firing squad. Bravo, Mr. Breitbart.
Dave, you’re right, it does. See the problem the left has is that it’s tried to make it sound like the TP is hugely racist, when in fact, the % of racists hasn’t been proved to be any higher in the TP than the overall popoulation. Now that the right is retaliating, the left doesn’t like it so much. The artice in the Daily Caller today, which proves what the right has been saying all along, that the left will cry racism when anyone disagrees with BO, is just bad timing for your side.
It does. I posted in the original story that the NAACP should have waited before condemning her.
I have no interest in sugarcoating. What I want is the end of spin. On both sides. Here’s what I posted on the original story, I think it’s a way more telling soundbite:
atreyue says:
July 20, 2010 at 10:45 am atreyue(Quote)
Thumb up 1 Thumb down 2
This is my favorite quote from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution article:
“She said the circumstances made it absurd for her to have made any racist comment.
“There were some white people there. The mayor (of Douglas) was there,” Sherrod recalled. “Why would I do something racist if they were there?”
But seriously, things like this shouldn’t result in her having to resign without the whole footage being released. The context should always be known before any action is taken. The NAACP should have refused to make a statement before all the evidence was in.
@RazorsEdge: I agree, but we don’t really know at what level USDA folks failed to listen. It could’ve been her immediate supervisor who refused to offer an explanation to their supervisor because they had been told what to do and they always kow-tow to the boss; The refusal could’ve been another bureaucratic level removed and though it probably didn’t go to the top, but on the off-chance, the last I heard Tom Vilsack had presidential ambitions.
Lmfao
Barack! Barack OBAMA!
I live in Iowa. Vilsack’s definitely on the President’s nut.
Another Edited taped promoted by the “Racist” Mainstream Media and Faux.
They will end up with EGG on their faces again.
Sherrod was forced to resign from the USDA for telling a story about a time in her past when she acted wrongly, but learned from her mistake and worked to correct it:
“I was speaking to that group, like I’ve done many groups, and I tell them about a time when I thought the issue was race and race only,” Sherrod told CNN’s “American Morning” from her home in Albany, Georgia. The incident took place in 1986, while she worked for a nonprofit and before she worked for the USDA, she said. “I was telling the story of how working with him helped me to see the issue is not about race. It’s about those who have versus those who do not have.”
And…the Farmers wife talks about “How Sherrod Helped her and her Husband” for years!! Can’t wait until this one plays out.
RACIST you’re still looking for your “smoking gun”. Even though this woman was NOT working for the USDA at the time the Pres. still fired her.
Tell your Baggers to use that as an example instead og defending all their Mark Williams’
Azarkhan: can you keep your homophobic crap to yourself?
The tea party is called racist even though there are no facts. Hearsay only. The major news media reports it without investigating the hearsay comments.
They are called tea baggers, made fun of for being white lead etc but when two incidents such as the blank panther story and now this one… you would think the world stopped in the news room to find every excuse to cover these people as misunderstood.
I am glad this is happening because people are getting madder and madder and the tea party will get stronger and stronger by these idiots like Tommy and you other liberal hypocrites.
Yweston, how does when she made the comments make them not racist? Your pathetic attempt to dismiss racism from your side is sad. You are doing exactly what you accuse other’s of doing.
This is where the politically incorrect Rush should weigh-in in support of Sherrod. Why? Because this same kind of selective editing is used against him quite often.
Roger Klorese, what did Azarkhan say that way homophobic? Bending over and greasing up sounds pretty hot. God only knows what Tommy Christopher does to prepare for his daily blog. And you know what, I care if I get banned from the stupid site.
‘Azarkhan: can you keep your homophobic crap to yourself?” Roger
Was my homophobia showing? Sorry! Please excuse me. I’m just a bundle of homophobia, xenophobia, racism, fascism and nazism. Often even I can’t tell which one is flaring up.
Ooops, forgot one. I’m also a misogynist.
Azarkhan, you are perfect just the way you are. Keep up the good work!
By the way, I meant to say that I “don’t” care if I get banned from this stupid site.
Thanks Marcel! It is so difficult to please the Leftist Gods.
The problem that you have is you see racism as a right left thing. Which is total bullshit. There is racism and it does come more from whites because there are more whites in this country. This is ridiculous and Andrew Brieghbitch is the biggest racist out there. It really doesn’t matter who exposes what. He is just trying to change what most of the public already thinks about him.
@Pablo, “Blacks with a chip on their shoulder, sure. Professionals who happen to be black are perfectly fine. But if you see your doc with a scalpel in one hand and doing the Black Power salute with the other, reevaluate your situation.”
You might be surprised. They are rarely that blatant. I had this type of experience with 2 professors in college so I dropped their classes and made sure all my future classes were taught by white professors.
Dave, I’d love for you to post your evidence that Breitbart is a racist. Otherwise, stop the smears, it’s getting old! It’s the left that has started this race war, by calling everyone and their dog a racist, and now you have to deal with the consequences.
D. Noland : ” What a snarky bitch you are “. Noland , I believe you are confusing me with your Mama , good fellow . Just because you’re using Slappey White ’s picture does not make you funny .
Shirley is just trying to say that not her on the tape. Its acutally Jesse Jackson!!!!!!!!!!!!
Shelley brietbart is a racist , he is also a pretty sad excuse for a “journalist “as he likes to call himself. He either did the editing himself or was set up once again (if that is the case he is also really sadly stupid). No one is interested in your screaming “proof” the whole freakin’ world is looking at this and gets it.
Well, I know a good number of black people who have their shit together and don’t really sweat skin color much. But I suspect they’re tough to find in academia.
@Magister
I’m sure you’re aware that already reported that Ms. Sherrod stated it was an under secretary that ‘harassed’ her multiple times to resign in a phone call on behalf of the White House. Ms. Sherrod also claimed politics by the NAACP and via the CNN interview blamed the NAACP which had condemned her overnight without any discussion or insight towards the matter with her.
Ms Sherrod’s quote – “They were not interested in hearing the truth. No one wanted to hear the truth,” (politics/intolerance)
It doesn’t really matter what Tommy’s motivation is in bringing us this follow-up to the Sherrod story. Right is right and wrong is wrong and Sherrod was very wronged in this case. From what she has said and from what the wife of the farmer has said, Sherrod initially made a mistake by letting her prejudice influence her job. However, once she got to know the farmer and his family she did everything she could to help them and they were able to keep their land. It sounds like they even became good friends. Everyone makes mistakes but the thing that matters is how we redeem ourselves in the end.
@Pablo, “Well, I know a good number of black people who have their shit together and don’t really sweat skin color much. But I suspect they’re tough to find in academia.”
You always have to take affirmative action into consideration as well.
Hey, she’s right! In her mind she is not being racist at all. That is the sad fact. People like the NAACP, Jackson and so many others really believe what this woman let slip. It happens all the time, but those pesky “fact” journalists don’t cover that.
What don’t you pathetic RW’ers not understand about the tape was edited to make her look bad and you have your fgeezeer fox news to thank for making you look like asses for believing it.
Great Spin Iris, but it is what it is. It doesn’t matter WHEN she said it, it’s still racist.
Shelley how big of a fool are you, The ENTIRE tape shows that it wasn’t racist, as the rest of the world knows now. The spin came from the asses you love, breitbart and fox and you were stupid enough to fall for it.
I’m sorry, but did you even listen to the tape iris? She said while this white farmer, acting superior to her, was going on, she was thinking about how much help she was gonna give him. All the while thinking how mad she was af the fact that so many black farmers had lost their farms. Now, take that sentence and wherever I put black, change it to white and vice versa and tell me you wouldn’t be screaming racism, you giant HYPO!!
Shelley , you moron she helped the farmer and his wife, that was the point of her story NOT to be racist, you just can’t stand the fact that the whole world now sees your idols for the hateful hypocrites and liars that they are and you are still a fool for them.
Now, I don’t know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in that, I think it’s fair to say that Shirley acted racistly.
Way to see what you want to Iris. She admits she didn’t do as much for him as she could have. You know, just when I think I have a grasp on how low you are on the mentality totem pole, you go and surprise me!
Fox has admitted the accusations against her were false and you fools are still trying to defend breitbarts edited tape. Diplomas for all of you from glenn beck u
Iris,
Why you are trying to spin this anyway you can, I am basing my opinoin stictly on her OWN words (whicn I know you libs hate):
He had to come to me for help. What he didn’t know while he was taking all that time trying to show me he was superior to me was I was trying to decide just how much help I was going to give him,” she said. “I was struggling with the fact that so many black people have lost their farmland 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. I did enough.”
Sherrod explained in the video that, at the time, she assumed the state or federal Department of Agriculture had referred the white farmer to her. In order to ensure that the farmer could report back that she was indeed helpful, she said she took him to see “one of his own” — a white lawyer.
“I figured that if I take him to one of them, that his own kind would take care of him,” she said.
So by her own admission, she didn’t do as much for her if she could have. Ask yourself if a white person admitted as much, would you be defending them right now. We both know that answer, don’t we.
Via Breitbart:
Sherrod also struck out at the the NAACP, which put out a statement condemning her for her remarks and then retracted it. She says the NAACP never contacted her and that if it wasn’t for the NAACP/Tea Party fight she wouldn’t have been forced to resign.
If this story is true, and there is no reason to doubt her, it shows the extent that Breitbart, Fox,and the Tea Party have gotten under the skin of the White House. Rather then to think it through they overreacted and forced Sherrod to pull over on the side of the road and resign without telling her side of the story.
It is also hard to understand why the NAACP would instantly condemn Ms Sherrod, if the speech was indeed as she said, why wouldn’t they respond by releasing the entire speech? One explanation may be that she is lying, but if you listen closely to the end of the clip she does seem to be pivoting toward saying it was about income not race (and then seems to change her mind again).
Another explanation for the White House and the NAACP not releasing the entire tape is the possibility that Shirley Sherrod is their sacrificial lamb. Possibly they do not care about the truth. Perhaps they realized their resolution attacking the Tea Party as racist was such a political loser, especially coming right after disclosure of DOJ Black Panther scandal, they see the condemnation of Sherrod as a way out of theses crises and seem racially balanced.
Either way Shirley Sherrod is the victim of a White House so incredibly thin skinned, so frighted of the media and the citizens of the United States who believe these words written by William Shakespeare “Tell truth and shame the devil”
SHelly, you fool, And the story ends that she realized that kind of thinking was WRONG and that was the message she was conveying ,
ANd BTW she has been telling the same story for 20 years you fools
First of all his disrespect for the civil rights hero John Lewis is first and foremost on my list. He has viciously attacked one of the last living civil rights icon. He denies the tea party guy spit on one of the African American congressman during the health care fight. See Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmP4Gb2pEsY) he defends the tea party which has it’s own racist issues that is evidence of the ousting of Mark Williams. He falsely goes after ACORN which is a good org with with few bad apples. His whole life is shrouded in discrediting black people and their organizations. Of course he doesn’t say the hyperbolic racist words but, his actions are loud and clear.
Lets get off your mama jokes. I just got off yours. Thank you ladies and gentleman. I’ll be here all day.
I think what was most disturbing during that video was the Laughter that emanated from the crowd at the NAACP convention, this tells me that they enjoyed the fact that this black woman (who obviously hates whites) did the right thing in refusing to help this farmer and, I might add, I find it highly unlikely that this farmer would have an “attitude” when he is seeking aid (as IS HER JOB) . This was purely a racist incident & it is more insulting to the public whose taxes support organizations such as this. This woman was in charge of securing funding from the Agriculture Dept. to ALL farmers in need and had a “sadistic” delight in making this poor man squirm as he sought what was his right, financial aid for his farm. I don’t know how she got that “high paying” job, whether it was 24 yrs. ago or yesterday, if the NAACP members enjoyed her “witty” story of how she got a whitey to squirm since she had the “power” to do so, then we are all in deep trouble because there is an underlying attempt by certain blacks to use their power to hurt or discredit those they despise..those who are not of their color..and that is very sad, even in the movies the screenwriters put little quips in scenes where they show a white guy playing black music & he is told “You may be listening to our music tonight but tomorrow morning, when you wake up, you will still be white!” What is the reason for all of this, is their so much hatred out there that this will never stop..it’s like a snowball rolling downhill, it just gets bigger & bigger. If this woman gets her job back, that will be the final insult & I’m glad we have the “teaparty movement” It’s about time we are allowed to speak our views about how all of this prejudice is affecting our lives. Power should be used for the good of all people. Shame on you Ms. Sherrod, I’m glad you got caught so that you can NO LONGER use your POWER! I hope God will help change your mind about us whiteys! God Bless America!
I guess there needs to be a left wing Andrew Brightbitch. There is so much white racism that you could fill this site everyday until the dawn of time. If you think I’m lying head to the south, take a black friend and go into an all white saloon. I bet 2 gillion dollars you will see real racism. I have a black friend and we we’re asked to leave a golf course in Arkansas. This is manufactured bullshit by Brighbitch. He is a slimy human. You can see the anger on his face. Very visceral
Paranoia runs deep.
Too many on here that Pretend to be offended by Mrs. Sherrod’s comments are themselves playing the same RACE card they are up in arms over. To anyone with intellect greater than 3rd grade , the story is a parable of sorts , She expresses a Racist view she “HELD” (past tense) and describes the changing of her thoughts as she sought o “PASS THE BUCK” but wound up getting involved and realizing this is not about Pride or being Superior or solely about Black or White, but as she said it’s about Poor people.
Sher admitted she was wrong in that speech , and it seemed clear to the observant eye and mind she was speaking of redemption. Those who see it still as Racist are Guilty of the avarice of projecting their own Fears and Moral corruption on someone , that unlike them was and is Brave enough to shed her cowardly hatred, for something more , something global, something human. Shame on you for wanting so badly to be right that others are as Bankrupt of their souls like you, and you have no desire to fix yourself.
Do you often listen to half a story? Do you find it easier to stand with false righteous indignation, that you make your self seem foolish.? Do you not see that at the end of the story she is conveying the idea that her first visceral response was wrong, and she indeed sought to help this man and his family, after realizing its not Always about Black and white, but about have and have not.
Be appalled all you wish , that is your right. Be as ignorant as well, That is Also your Right.
Inevitable. Andrew evil Breitbutt bit himself Nd his faux party cohorts
Ike Megyn Kelly with a nice defamation suit, and more. He attempted to get back at the NAACP by hurting a compassionate human being, and look where it gottem. Hilarious.
He’ll be fortunate not to receive a prison sentence. I don’t think this will help Sarah Man Jaw Palin or BachMan in their complete disassociation and responsibility to their nut base constituentcy,
I will give credit to O’Reilly and Seth and even . . . Beck for apologizing and condemning Faux News and the backward freak circus of TParty politics. Good on ya Breitbutt, your right on step with runny mouth Rand and Wilhelm Reich. Atleast the left or dems made amends for their blundering of this
Um, Latin or whatever you call yourself, watch the video, or you’re right in suit with the other lobotomized loons.
But then again, your most likely some illegal hairy fat STD Mexican immigrant who’s trying to gain acceptance from the right. Ooooooh I’m sorry, did that sound racist? But you must be used to it if your vitriolic about a woman who gave her life to look beyond racial barriers.
Marvin, I would be just as appalled if a “white” person would misuse their privileges, why is this all about race & why do black people become so easily offended when they are being questioned about ANYTHING. The NAACP had the full transcript & were the first to incriminate her & it just went on & on. You & I are not truly aware of what the media is capable of, we just react to what we hear & see. Politics can be very dirty, there have been so many cover ups in the past that you don’t know who to trust, Breibart should have asked for the “complete” tape; however, all the NAACP had to do was go into their archives BEFORE sending this woman down that path. Look, Marvin, don’t call me a racist because you favor your own race..this is the whole problem, you don’t want to listen to other peoples’ point of view & that is what this is all about. I’m a senior so I know about racism & I always went to the defense of a girl or two in my class that was not our color.children can be cruel & I suffered because of it as this was a big no no in my time so don’t tell me I’m a racist but I do believe in honesty & God only knows who is being “shnookered” over this. God bless you & God Bless America. Helen Nordo
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