APLEblog.com

Sherrod and Vilsack

In a press conference today, Shirley Sherrod, who looked visibly weak, shaken-up, and at the brink of tears, declined the position of deputy director of outreach and advocacy which was offered to her by USDA Secretary, Tom Vilsack.

Sherrod was forced to resign from the USDA last month after conservative blogger, Andrew Breitbart, released an edited video of Sherrod which misrepresented her position on racial tolerance and made it appear as though she was discriminating against a White farmer.

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A younger Sherrod

When we first saw the heavily edited Shirley Sherrod video on FOX News, most of us experienced several emotions.  First there was shock which caused many of us to rush to judgment, just as Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, and the Obama administration did.

Then as the story began to unfold and change right before our eyes, we began to realize that this was not just the story of a woman victimized by right-wing conservatives, but it was the introduction on the world stage of a woman who was so severely impacted by discrimination in all forms (race, status, etc.) that she decided to devote the rest of her life to its eradication.  The video introduced us to a woman who has been fighting for a cause for her entire life; a woman whose calling became bigger than the woman herself.

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