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Shirley Sherrod, former Director of Rural Development for Georgia, resigned from her position after clips of her speaking at an NAACP conference, saying she refused to fully help a white farmer avoid foreclosure, were released by conservative writer Andrew Breitbart, taking the Internet by storm.
Sherrod said she was forced out of her position by the White House, but according to USDA secretary Tom Vilsack, the decision had nothing to do with the White House and was his responsibility.
In an era where people rely on headlines and 140 character tweets to find out what's going on in the world, it is becoming increasingly easy for the public to be manipulated by soundbites and 30-second clips.
Sherrod's resignation from the USDA over a clip taken from a video shows how easy it has become to manufacture a racially orientated media firestorm.
As someone who has also had their words taken out of context in the national media and seen the ensuing reaction, I know how easy it is to create a storm in a teacup by only presenting a tiny portion of an article or a speech as if it is a true representation of a person's views.
The very nature of a short clip means that it cannot possibly provide the reader or listener with a true understanding of what was said. At its best, it can provoke a knee jerk reaction, which is what seems to be the intended outcome in cases like these.
The very nature of a short clip means that it cannot possibly provide the reader or listener with a true understanding of what was said. At its best, it can provoke a knee jerk reaction, which is what seems to be the intended outcome in cases like these.
I'm not saying that Sherrod was right. I don't know. And neither does anyone else - because we haven't seen the whole video. Until the entire video is seen, it is not possible to garner from that clip the exact context of what she was saying. You cannot understand anything without understanding its context. I also wonder how valid it is to have people resign from a current position in which they are considered to be performing effectively based on incidents that happened decades ago.
This is the very same type of incident that happened with Justice Sonia Sotomayor, with her "wise Latina" comments. When one actually listens to what Sotomayor said in full, it is nothing like the divisive, inflammatory comment that it was portrayed as. Sherrod's case also has parallels with Van Jones and Reverend Jeremiah Wright.
Unfortunately, the White House's willingness to force resignations without seemingly understanding the full range of the issue also stokes up the idea that short clips and soundbites carry weight. According to Sherrod, she was called 4 times by the White House administration and asked to resign.
Admittedly it is problematic that anyone in a high-ranking position would say that racial reasons prevented them from "[giving] the full force of what I could do." However, Sherrod has said that the clip had been selectively edited and that the point of the speech was to show that she'd learned that race was not the issue at all.
Personally, I'm tired of this lazy form of "journalism," which seems to only stoke up tensions, fears and sensationalism rather than promote any critical discussion or thinking. If Sherrod was acting inappropriately, she should be dealt with based on the facts, not on soundbites.
Unfortunately, the White House's willingness to force resignations without seemingly understanding the full range of the issue also stokes up the idea that short clips and soundbites carry weight. According to Sherrod, she was called 4 times by the White House administration and asked to resign.
Admittedly it is problematic that anyone in a high-ranking position would say that racial reasons prevented them from "[giving] the full force of what I could do." However, Sherrod has said that the clip had been selectively edited and that the point of the speech was to show that she'd learned that race was not the issue at all.
Personally, I'm tired of this lazy form of "journalism," which seems to only stoke up tensions, fears and sensationalism rather than promote any critical discussion or thinking. If Sherrod was acting inappropriately, she should be dealt with based on the facts, not on soundbites.
Comments: (39)
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By: M. Alexander on 7/21/2010 10:26AM
I really don't care what she said about a White farmer because the fact is for more than 200 years and continuing presently, Whites have berated and belittled Black people to no end and now that this woman made a statement some years ago, everyone or should I say White people are "upset" !
Excuse me but I don't recall any Blacks enslaving Whites, whipping Whites, torturing Whites, denying rights to Whites (Guaranteed To All Men under the Constitution, siccing dogs on Whites, fire bombing Whites, lynching Whites, dragging Whites via trucks, Whites being spit on, Whites being denied access to jobs, access to homes, service at restaurants, hotels, etc etc, separate water fountains, bathrooms, and the list goes on and on and on !
When I see proof that Blacks have done any of those things to Whites, I'll have some sympathy for them !
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By: poor farmer on 7/21/2010 10:42AM
so you, personally, have been enslaved, whipped, tortured and denied your rights? grow up, dude.
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By: Maggie on 7/21/2010 1:12PM
You, M Alexander, are part of the reason that there is such racial turmoil in the US, you were not a slave or beaten were you? Take a page from Ms. Sherrod and learn from your mistakes. It's not about black or white, we are all Americans.
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By: WalkerBRW on 7/21/2010 10:43AM
Sherrod was railroaded in resigning! A remark from 24 years ago!? Get real!
If there was a way to publicize any and every racist remark that EVERYONE has ever said in his or her life, AND you were forced to resign because of it, NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE in the United States would have a job!
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By: alie on 7/21/2010 11:56AM
here here!
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By: James on 7/21/2010 1:13PM
President Obama has a habit of jumping in before knowing all of the facts, he did the same thing with the Professor Gates matter, he should look at the facts before reacting, it certainly doesn't help his shrinking approval rating.
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By: Maggie on 7/22/2010 3:17PM
The remark was not made 24 years ago, she was relating the story as to how her racist beliefs have changed and it's not about black and white but about those who legitimately need help, black or white - Mrs. Sherrod is a fine example to all of us, we are all American - that is what is important.
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By: alie on 7/21/2010 1:43PM
During the 1960's Fannie became interested in the civil rights movement. She became involved in voter registration when members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) came to Mississippi. She remarked, "One day in early August, I heard that some young people had come to town teaching people how to register to vote. I have always wanted to do something to help myself and my race, but I did not know how to go about it. So, I went to one of the meetings in Ruleville. That night, I was showed how to fill out a form for registration. The next day, August 31, 1962, I went to Indianola, Mississippi to fill out a form at the registrar's office. I took the test."
During this time, African-Americans were deterred from voting in the South. When Hamer and others from her city went to register to vote, they were asked to interpret the state's constitution. So, naturally, being unable to do so, Hamer flunked and was not allowed to register to vote. On the return trip home, the bus in which she and the others were riding was stopped for being "the wrong color." She and the others were jailed and later released. This sort of harassment was a typical experience for blacks in the South. When she returned home, Marlow, her landowner gave her an ultimatum, either stop trying to vote or leave his property. Hamer chose to leave the property and her family. Her husband remained on the property to continue working. Hamer stayed with various friends and neighbors. At each house in which she was staying, night riders caused violence.
In 1963, after her third attempt, Hamer passed the test and became a registered voter. In order to assist other African-Americans in registering to vote, Hamer became a field secretary for SNCC and traveled across the South. On June 9, 1963, during one of the trips to South Carolina, the bus in which she and other SNCC workers was riding was stopped in Winona, Mississippi. When some of the workers went into the "white only" waiting room, the whole group was arrested. While in custody, Hamer and other workers were beaten unmercifully. Hamer suffered extreme injuries, which bothered her throughout the rest of her life. She said of the incident:
"Three white men came into my room. One was a state highway policeman…They said they were going to make me wish I was dead. They made me lay down on my face and they ordered two Negro prisoners to beat me with a blackjack. That was unbearable. The first prisoner beat me until he was exhausted, then the second Negro began to beat me….They beat me until I was hard, 'til I couldn't bend my fingers or get up when they told me to. That's how I got this blood clot in my eye--the sight's nearly gone now. My kidney was injured from the blows they gave me on the back."
SNCC lawyers bailed her and the others out and filed suit against the Winona police. All the whites who were charged were found not guilty. This injustice made Hamer more determined to fight for equal rights in Mississippi. She is famous for the words she said when she awoke in the mornings, "I am sick and tired of being sick and tired."
1964 was an election year. Unable to attend a local precinct meeting of the Democratic Party, SNCC formed the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP). At the Democratic national convention in Atlantic City, Fannie Hamer and other delegates challenged the Party for not addressing the concerne of the blacks of Mississippi. Hamer spoke to the Credentials Committee during the convention about the injustices of the all-white Democratic delegation. In part of the speech she asked, "Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, where we are threatened daily because we want to live as decent human beings?" A compromise was made in which two seats would be given to the MFDP. The Democratic Party promised never to have an all-white delegation again. In 1965, President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Voting Rights act, empowering federal registrars to register African American votes in the South.
Hamer continued to work to better conditions in Mississippi by organizing grass-roots antipoverty projects. She became a sought after national speaker and worked to unite the black and white factions of the Mississippi Democratic party. In 1965, "Mississippi" magazine named her one of six "Women of Influence" in the state. In 1968, she helped create a food cooperative, to help the poor obtain more meat in their diet. In 1969, she founded the Freedom Farm Cooperative in which 5,000 people were able to grow their own food and own 680 acres of land. In 1972, she helped found the National Women's Political Caucus. During the last ten years of her life, she worked on issues such as school desegregation, child day-care, and low-income housing.
Fannie Lou Hamer died on March 15, 1977. Many civil rights leaders and workers attended her funeral. One of the many who spoke at the funeral was Andrew Young, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, he said, "Women were the spine of our movement. It was women going door-to-door, speaking with their neighbors, meeting in voter-registration classes together, organizing through their churches, that gave the vital momentum and energy to the movement. Mrs. Hamer was special but she was also representative…She shook the foundations of this nation."
Shirley Sherrod said on msnbc who am i that the president should give her a call and apoligize? you are one in a million who have dedicated half your life so that the Obama's are where they are today never forget it! you are a child of God you are a promise.
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By: Judy on 7/23/2010 8:06AM
Because she was caught at a racist meeting making racist comments against white citizens she was fired. And rightfully so. End of story.
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