Cant we all just get along?
Posted on 07/20/2010 7:59:45 PM PDT by kristinn
The NAACP has released a 43 minute long video of the controversial speech given by fired USDA official Shirley Sherrod. Excerpts of the speech showing her using racist language with the support of those attending an NAACP dinner in March were released yesterday by Big Government. Sherrod was forced to resign from her position last night.
The video can be viewed at the NAACP website or go directly to the YouTube video.
After pulling their initial statement denouncing Sherrod, the NAACP released a new statement today claiming the group was "snookered" by Fox News and Andrew Breitbart.
Earlier today, a bitter Sherrod complained of being betrayed by black people in an interview given to Georgia TV stationWALB:
She feels like no one's been willing to fight for her. "It hurts especially when the NAACP is doing it and Roland Martin is doing it. These are black people, they never asked me what happened, these are people who haven't been on the front line like I have for 45 years..."
The new statement by the NAACP:
July 20, 2010
(BALTIMORE, MD) - NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous issued the following statement today after a careful investigation into the presentation of former USDA Official Shirley Sherrod.
"The NAACP has a zero tolerance policy against racial discrimination, whether practiced by blacks, whites, or any other group.
The NAACP also has long championed and embraced transformation by people who have moved beyond racial bias. Most notably, we have done so for late Alabama Governor George Wallace and late US Senator Robert Byrd -- each a man who had associated with and supported white supremacists and their cause before embracing civil rights for all.
With regard to the initial media coverage of the resignation of USDA Official Shirley Sherrod, we have come to the conclusion we were snookered by Fox News and Tea Party Activist Andrew Breitbart into believing she had harmed white farmers because of racial bias.
Having reviewed the full tape, spoken to Ms. Sherrod, and most importantly heard the testimony of the white farmers mentioned in this story, we now believe the organization that edited the documents did so with the intention of deceiving millions of Americans.
The fact is Ms. Sherrod did help the white farmers mentioned in her speech. They personally credit her with helping to save their family farm.
Moreover, this incident and the lesson it prompted occurred more that 20 years before she went to work for USDA.
Finally, she was sharing this account as part of a story of transformation and redemption. In the full video, Ms.Sherrod says she realized that the dislocation of farmers is about “haves and have nots.” "It’s not just about black people, it’s about poor people," says Sherrod in the speech. “We have to get to the point where race exists but it doesn’t matter.”
This is a teachable moment, for activists and for journalists.
Most Americans agree that racism has no place in American Society. We also believe that civil and human rights have to be measured by a single yardstick.
The NAACP has demonstrated its commitment to live by that standard.
The Tea Party Federation took a step in that direction when it expelled the Tea Party Express over the weekend. Unfortunately, we have yet to hear from other leaders in the Tea Party movement like Dick Armey and Sarah Palin, who have been virtually silent on the “internal bigotry” issue.
Next time we are confronted by a racial controversy broken by Fox News or their allies in the Tea Party like Mr. Breitbart, we will consider the source and be more deliberate in responding. The tape of Ms. Sherrod’s speech at an NAACP banquet was deliberately edited to create a false impression of racial bias, and to create a controversy where none existed. This just shows the lengths to which extremist elements will go to discredit legitimate opposition.
According to the USDA, Sherrod’s statements prompted her dismissal. While we understand why Secretary Vilsack believes this false controversy will impede her ability to function in the role, we urge him to reconsider.
Finally, we hope this incident will heighten Congress’s urgency in dealing with the well documented findings of discrimination toward black, Latino, Asian American and Native American farmers, as well as female farmers of all races."
###
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.
That is how I took it. They gave approving sentiments for several points denouncing racism so it makes little sense that they were approving of it at other junctures.
It certainly was at one time. As I said before this was not the national chapter we hear about in the news of late.
If you don't see the difference between a woman who once shuffled off a client to someone else, and then made up for it, to a man who dedicated his life to white supremacy and overt racist hatred then I probably couldn't pound sense into your skull with a sledge hammer.
She didn't say she was planning on going on his show she said the WH said she would be on it. Obviously not personally but the story would be on Glenn Beck.
I had read post #8. I don’t think the poster understood that she had prefaced the entire story with a statement that she was about to explain a change of viewpoint from race to poverty.
I think Breitbart got caught by someone giving him a video with the front lopped off and the end lopped off. That is why Beck and Krauthammer[sp] were cautioning us to tread lightly on this story.
The gist of her story was: I once saw people in a racist way, but I found that that was not right.
To expand on my premise, I would like to point out that I arranged Bible studies three times a week at a men’s shelter in Phoenix for two years. On the nights when we had visiting Black pastors the tone of the meeting was just different. Normally staid men would turn into the “amen corner”! :)
The story is now up on FOX NATION with the video of her saying she was fired for planning to go on the Glenn Beck program.
>> Still I see this issue of the thread as unresolved and will be a thorn in our side.
I tend to be optimistic about issues involving racism, and don’t consider racial bickering to be a significant problem. Any racism, however, that restricts liberty in any way whatsoever obviously needs to be eradicated.
We need to be smart about the 1st Amendment and not abuse it through intolerance of others’ opinions and anger.
>> I know, huh. Let’s both crack a cold one.
LOL - this would have been much easier in that kind of setting my FRiend.
As far as I can see, you are letting her off the hook 100%, so the Duke comparison doesn’t make much sense to you.
I have not let her off the hook, I view her as an admitted racist, which makes the Duke comparison valid.
We do not know for 100% certainty that this was the only instance of racism that she ever engaged in.
You say she shuffled off a client to someone else then made up for it. What she did was send him to one of his own kind. What she did was perceive his alleged attempt to impose superiority of one kind or another over her, and her paranoia caused her to respond as she said she did. Then, possibly out of guilt, she went out of her way and outside of the scope of her job to help him, which puts everyone else who isn’t him on a lower rung because of her racism.
If you can’t see that she compromised herself, her ability to do her job and the perceptions of others about her doing her job, then I probably couldn’t calmy talk sense into your skull without childish insults or violent references.
I agree.
There were all the liberal comments one would expect for a presentation to that group (Obama doing a great job, Bush was evil, etc. — my words, not hers)
But she also said a lot of good stuff. Personal responsibility. Education. Discipline your children. Promoting entrepreneurship. Give back. Keep a good credit rating. Save for the future, don’t charge it. Everyone (of all colors) needs to work together to solve the problems of the community and so on.
I certainly expected a lot worse given all the hoopla (ala Jeremiah Wright).
That was her whole point. I was so right about the sledge hammer metaphor.
Cant we all just get along?
I just watched the video and that's not what she said. She said that the WH said "because you're going to be on Glenn Beck tonight." Which she was but not personally.
so I suppose now the NAACP will also condemn LA RAZA for their overt racism? /s
Peddle your cr@p elsewhere, troll.
Try again...is the NAACP racist, or not? Is a lady who talks about sending someone to get help "from his kind" a racist, or not?
I'll wait...
I've seen almost these exact words in many places..."I don't know if Breitbart will ever re-earn my trust."
I smell trolls and a campaign to discredit the messenger.
Well, that would depend upon the definition of the phrase, "Racial discrimination."
(/Billy Jeff)
A political machine that will decide to call someone a racist to change the subject is more than capable of such an operation...and the words have been strangely repetitive.
"Firm Ethics?"
You're wrong.
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