The Shirley Sherrod Conversation

The talk has slowed a bit about the Shirley Sherrod controversy, namely her unjustified firing from her post with the Department of Agriculture because of comments she had made years ago in a speech that were taken out of context and used to slur her.

But the impact on all of us lingers.  The incident is fodder for discussion on several levels.  Here are a few:

The whole incident was based on a video clip of Sherrod's comments taken out of context and posted on the internet by conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart.  What a travesty!  What kind of twisted motivation is there for someone to do something like this?  By making it appear that Sherrod, an African American, was guilty of prejudice against whites, Breitbart apparently aimed to stir up the mongrel race-baiters who love to find instances of what they see as bad treatment of whites by blacks and evidence of white Americans being somehow the victims of special preference for African Americans. 

What hogwash this was.  And the audacity to take her statements out of context--especially since her entire speech makes an articulate argument for the importance of understanding and tolerance between all peoples--is appalling.  Sherrod is the personification of where most of us want to be: a truly tolerant person who walks the talk of being color blind.  Breitbart's activities make us want to examine just what these ultra conservative folks are up to.

Another aspect of the Sherrod incident is the speed with which her firing occurred.  She learned of it by a phone call to her when she was driving her car.  Bam.  You're fired.  "And by the way, do you mind pulling over and submitting your resignation via your blackberry?"  No one--from those who initially picked up Breitbart's bait and passed it on, to the officials in the White House who made the quick decision to fire her--no one even considered the importance of examining the context of her remarks, an action that if taken would have stopped the flood of misplaced outrage against Sherrod before it was even a trickle. 

And it's not just the speed of her firing that is breathtaking.  It's the seniority of the people involved, all the way to the White House, who assumed the worse before getting the facts.  Even the President of the NAACP jumped on board to denounce her.  Wow.  Not good.  One has to ask: if Sherrod were white and her speech was about a black farmer...would someone have found it as controversial as Breitbart did this one?  Sadly, no.  We're not where we need to be as a nation regarding race, despite our having elected Barack Obama president.  Still miles to go before we sleep.

And there is the conversation we can all have about just how terrific Shirley Sherrod turns out to be.  She turned the incident on its head, went directly to the media herself and brought forth the truth.  In doing so, she had to have the kind of courage great leaders draw upon.  This woman is marvelous and I understand that although she has said she's not interested in getting her old job back, there are bigger things in store for Ms. Sherrod.

This is the kind of instant celebrity of which I heartily approve (unlike my rant yesterday about the unearned infamy of the Jersey Shore tribe).  It's the Sherrods of America who can teach us all how to express ourselves (her speech was pretty good...here's the link) and even more, how to speak up when it's important to do so, regardless of the admonition to sweep things under the rug. 

Go, Shirley!  I hope lots of families are having dinner discussions about you and your value system.  You got it right.

Comments

[Dan S.]

Well written and poignantly on target as usual, Susan.