A month ago I had no idea who Shirley Sherrod was. Now she is all I can think about. On July 19, 2010, Ms. Sherrod was forced to resign from her position as Georgia State Director of Rural Development for the United States Department of Agriculture after conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart posted edited video excerpts of Sherrod’s address at a March 2010 NAACP event. The doctored video portrayed Sherrod as harboring extreme prejudices towards white farmers. The NAACP irrationally condemned her remarks, and U.S. government officials called for her resignation.
However, a review of the unedited video in its original context painted a drastically different story. Soon after, the NAACP, White House officials, and Tom Vilsack, the Secretary of Agriculture, apologized and Sherrod was offered a new position.
It turns out that Breitbart posted the excerpts shortly after the NAACP passed a resolution which called on Tea Party leaders “to repudiate those in their ranks who use racist language in their signs and speeches.” He was attempting to claim that NAACP officials, themselves, are racist.
Given the discredited record of Breitbart, why didn’t the administration or the NAACP act more cautiously before going after Sherrod? Vilsack, USDA officials and the NAACP clearly violated her right to due process when they failed to simply give her the benefit of the doubt (aren’t we still innocent until proven guilty?) as opposed to that of her accusers.
My little brother asked me the other day, regarding this whole situation, “Whats the point?”I couldn’t help but tell him exactly what I think the point is- We need look at what we have become as a society. We are experiencing the negative side of the digital “everything is viral” age. Where things can be recorded all the time, edited, and completely be misquoted and disguised. On top of this, it seems that the leaders of the Tea-Party and right-wing news media are hell-bent on creating a racial war in America. And the Obama administration seems to have become so timid that they allow folks like Mr. Bierberet to drive the agenda of our country.
I thought that the 2008 election signaled a turning point in our country’s ability to discuss and deal with race, class and difference. Instead, people’s whole lives have been up-ended, incredible organizations like ACORN have shattered, and hardly anything can get done without bickering and divisive rhetoric that further fumes the racial and economic divides that are woven deep into the American fabric.
If I try to find the root of the problem, I can’t help but look at the right-wing media and the administration’s extreme fear of its power. The administration’s actions are often driven by a knee-jerk reaction to even the slightest threat of bad news, particularly on the issue of race.
It’s difficult to imagine anyone in the former Bush administration being fired because of an unsubstantiated (or even substantiated) report that was going to be discussed on progressive programs like The Keith Olbermann Show or Democracy Now! Yet, this incident confirms the undo power and influence that the Obama administration gives to the likes of Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh. I want to believe that the embarrassing fact that the president himself had to express his regrets to Sherrod might make those in his administration pause, even for a moment, the next time the Right throws a punch. Furthermore, the incident hopefully will move our country away from a place where discussions about race remain taboo to a new society where pro-active words and actions are embraced and effective. Could this be a turning point where the Obama White House stands on principle and fights for racial justice and fairness regardless of the divisive rantings of its opponents or the political costs at stake? I hope so.
It’s important that we hold the these folks and the folks who give them the window to race-bait, tell half truths and full lies accountable. I am all for free speech but I am also against telling lies and the promoting divisive provocation that could lead to harmful results for everyone.
If you want to take action, join the our friends at the ColorofChange.org in demanding for fairness and accuracy in media and an end to fear mongering and race baiting. Maybe this won’t give Ms. Sherrod her job back, but hopefully it will create greater accountability and force folks to do an about-face on their actions and realize the harmful consequences of their actions.
2 Comments
Thanks for talking about this. Remembering to give each other the benefit of the doubt, and to look out for each other in general, is the first step. Especially folks on our team: I was incredibly disappointed by both the NAACP’s initial reaction against their own guest speaker and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s to their crucial employee. I would have hoped that their instinct would be to first defend, not quickly attack, someone they’ve entrusted with such great responsibility.
This dialogue about the issue — and Color of Change’s speedy e-mail alert revealing the truth of Shirley Sherrod’s story, after she was forced to resign — are important and helpful communications. If only all our media were as thoughtful.
Nicely said. Obama needs to grow a backbone! I’m so sick of Democrats sniveling around while hysterical right-wingers trample on our basic values as a country.