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Ousted USDA employee Sherrod to sue blogger

Ousted Agriculture Department employee Shirley Sherrod speaks during a panel discussion at the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists on Thursday, July 29, 2010, in San Diego. Mrs. Sherrod said she will sue conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart, who last week posted an edited video of her making racially tinged remarks. In the full speech, Mrs. Sherrod spoke of racial reconciliation and lessons she learned after initially hesitating to help a white farmer save his home. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)Ousted Agriculture Department employee Shirley Sherrod speaks during a panel discussion at the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists on Thursday, July 29, 2010, in San Diego. Mrs. Sherrod said she will sue conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart, who last week posted an edited video of her making racially tinged remarks. In the full speech, Mrs. Sherrod spoke of racial reconciliation and lessons she learned after initially hesitating to help a white farmer save his home. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
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Shirley Sherrod, the Agriculture Department employee whose hasty dismissal by the Obama administration sparked a national uproar over race, said Thursday that she will sue the conservative blog mogul who posted the edited video that led to her removal.

Mrs. Sherrod made the announcement about legal action against Andrew Breitbart in San Diego at the convention of the National Association of Black Journalists in a panel discussion called "Context and Consequences: Conversation With Shirley Sherrod."

In the heavily edited video, Mrs. Sherrod appeared to be proudly telling a Georgia NAACP chapter that she did not help a white farmer. In the full video, she spoke of racial reconciliation and lessons she learned about herself from the experience with the farmer, who quickly backed Mrs. Sherrod in the ensuing public furor.

Mrs. Sherrod said in a CNN interview last week that she would consider taking legal action against Mr. Breitbart.

"I really think I should" consider going forward with a defamation suit, she told interviewers. "I don't know a lot about the legal profession, but that's one person I'd like to get back at."

She also has called Mr. Breitbart a racist who wants to demote blacks to slavery-era status.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has apologized to Mrs. Sherrod for acting hastily and has offered her another job within the agency. Mrs. Sherrod has yet to say whether she will accept the position. President Obama also offered a personal apology to Mrs. Sherrod over the phone.

© Copyright 2010 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

About the Author
Kathryn Watson

Kathryn Watson

Kathryn Watson is an intern on the Continuous News Desk. Katie is a senior journalism major at Biola University just outside of Los Angeles, where she serves as the editor-in-chief of her school's student newspaper, The Chimes.

 

Comments

Backgammon says:

1 month ago

Mark as offensive

jasonjohson: You are a little off on your figures. Mr & Mrs. Sherrod as owners of New Communities, Inc. received 13 Million of a 1.25 Billion,
this fine administration set aside for them. Check out Pigman vs Vilsack.
Regan dropped the suit but Mr. Holder picked it up in 09.

Jul 23, 2010 ... The failure of New Communities was so emotionally devastating to its participants .... Read "The Biggest Lessons of the Shirley Sherrod Case." ... 2010 Time Inc. All rights reserved | Privacy Policy | RSS | Newsletter ...
www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2006058,00.html

www.ruraldevelopment.org/shirleydirector.html

Jul 22, 2010 ... Shirley Sherrod was not only an initiator of the Pigford Farms case, she received a chunk of change for her company, New Communities, Inc. ...
biggovernment.com/tag/new-communities/

www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/Sherrod--Won.../id/365407 - Cached


Mr. Sherrod may be a bit of a racist himself.
www.uncoverage.net/2010/07/mr-sherrod-even-more-racist-than-mrs/


merriemarie.amplify.com/.../shirley-sherrods-disappearing-act-not-so-fast/ - Cached

jasonjohnson says:

1 month ago

Mark as offensive

Gp698, since this is an opinion forum it is fine to offer commentary that is not exactly accurate. Mrs. Sherrod did sue and won a lawsuit. She and her husband both were awarded $150,000 a piece. They were but a couple of members of an agricultural group that sued the Agricultural Dept. The gist of the lawsuit contended that during times when Farmers were seeking federal assistance to help farmers maintain their farms, federal monies were available; White Southerners got the federal assistance, whereas most Black farmers did not. They sued, and won. They are not the only Black Farmers that sued. At present thew federal government has awarded a one point two billion dollar payout to other Black Farmers, but have not yet paid the settlement. It is true most Americans associate southern white racism with the lynching, bombings ((Blacks were referring to Birmingham as bombingham because of the incredible amount of bombings done to support, exacerbate and perpetuate their preferred racist ideology. Stewdanko says that Blacks are some of the most racist people he knows. I wonder how many Black people he knows and how many of them attacked children in broad daylight. How many of the conspired to disenfranchise anybody at any time? What is a little puzzling is how incredulous it is to read that white southerners say they are aware of any people, any community, any demographic comparable to the evil exercised by white southerners.

jasonjohnson says:

1 month ago

Mark as offensive

There is no moral equivalence to the racism desired and fought for in the south with any other demographic or culture inside the United States . Is he suggesting that attacking children with vicious dogs is an acceptable practice in any community in the United States but the racist south. If that is his opinion one would think he could give an example of acceptable violence against children in any American community inside the United States. To suggest the level of hate white southerners showed this nation, indeed the entire world is preposterous. Perhaps he can give an example of any level of racism inside the United States morally equivalent in any community in this great nation. It is inexplicable to me that in 2010 that any human being would dare suggest that racism in the south is comparable to any other American community. That is not true, it is a nasty lie. Southern Whites have proved they are not like most human beings. Certainly not like most Americans. I honestly do not know what they are, who they are. I do know this, there is not one person that could get me to bomb a church and in the process kill four little girl and injure 20 others. I believe it is safe to say that that is rare in worldwide and certainly American humanity. Racism is an evil embraced by a majority of White Southerners. It was so virulent, so powerful it willfully created it own constitution separate from the United States Constitution. They created laws designed specifically to intimidate,kill if necessary, destroy disenfranchise any and all Blacks they could get their hands on. It took an entire nation to stop their virulent hatred. Blacks were being lynched, burned, castrated, skinned, raped. Every single Black person was subject to the evil imaginations of racist whites by design. The sick part of the entire racist ideology is the audacity of southern whites on this forum suggesting they are no different that most American whites.

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