Much of this was news to me and I thought the membership may
want to see this short background on the latest Fox fiasco.
Know Justice; Know Peace,
Rev. Dr. E-K Daufin
Professor of Communication
ASU FSA/AFT Co-VP for Faculty
AEJMC MAC Membership Chair
Alabama State University
915 S. Jackson St.
Montgomery, AL 36101-0271
(334) 229-6885
www.loveyourbodyloveyourself.vox.com
Your research and creative activity referrals are welcomed.
With all my heart I want to work with and for kind, competant,
strong people who love and help me and I they. Ashe!
From: James Rucker,
ColorOfChange.org [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 8:48 AM
To: E. K. Daufin
Subject: Shameful, unacceptable
|
Dear E-K,
The Obama administration just caved in to the right-wing smear machine,
firing a Black USDA official after she was smeared by far-right blogger Andrew
Breitbart and his friends at Fox News Channel.[1]
Sherrod's dismissal was based on a selectively edited video that made it
appear she was confessing to discriminating against a White farming couple. In reality she was telling the story
of how working with that family to save their farm helped her to lose her
racial preconceptions.[2]
It took less than 24 hours for the lies to be debunked. But by that time, it
was too late — Sherrod was forced to quit. And even now that the truth is known, Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack is refusing to reinstate her.[3] Worse,
Vilsack has President Obama's support.[4] This kind
of political cowardice is beyond shameful.
Please join us in calling on the White House to immediately give Shirley
Sherrod her job back, and to stop bowing to the will of right-wing propaganda
artists. And please ask your friends and family to do the same — it takes just
a moment:
http://www.colorofchange.org/shirley/?id=1667-1152329
The smear
On Monday, Andrew Breitbart (a blogger who works closely with FOX News and
has a long history of launching deceptive, racially charged smear campaigns)
posted a deceptively edited video of USDA employee Shirley Sherrod speaking at
an NAACP function. The video shows Sherrod telling a story about how she once
was asked for help from a White farmer, and how she didn't "give him the
full force of what I could do" to help him, because of his race.[5]
Breitbart touted the video as evidence that the NAACP and the Obama
administration tolerated racial discrimination against White people, saying
that it showed Sherrod's "federal duties are managed through the prism of
race and class distinctions." Breitbart's doctored video and false
storyline moved quickly to FOX News, where on-air personalities called for
Sherrod's firing.[6]
The truth is that Sherrod was telling a 24-year old story about her work for
a non-profit organization whose mission was to help Black farmers.
Discrimination against Black farmers was rampant, and she described how she was
first reluctant when approached by a White farmer named Roger Spooner for help
(Sherrod also says that her father was killed by a White farmer 45 years ago).
But after seeing that no one wanted to help Spooner, she worked to save his
farm, and eventually became good friends with his family. [7]
Yesterday, Roger Spooner said that Sherrod saved their farm and kept them
out of bankruptcy. He told CNN, "I don't know what brought up the racist
mess. They just want to stir up some trouble, it sounds to me in my
opinion."[8]
A disturbing pattern
Sadly, the truth didn't matter at all. Soon after Breitbart's fake video
surfaced, Sherrod says she was pressured by the White House to resign. Sherrod
was never given a chance to tell her side of the story and says that the Obama
administration was "not interested in hearing the truth."[9]
Once the truth became known, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued a
statement saying that whether or not the smear campaign against Sherrod was based
in lies, it was necessary to fire her because the "controversy" would
make it hard for her to do her job.[10] The Obama administration is
essentially saying that they will always back down in the face of dishonest,
race-baiting smear campaigns launched by right-wing propagandists.
They've ended the career of someone who did nothing wrong, and by handing a
victory to the people who launched this deception, the administration is
encouraging them to launch even more smears. All to avoid
"controversy." It's pathetic, it's shameful, and it has to stop.
It's not the first time this has happened. Several members of the Obama
administration have lost their jobs or been demoted, and nominees to cabinet
positions have either stepped down or withdrawn their nominations after
becoming the target of smear campaigns launched by FOX News and Breitbart.
It's bad enough that we have to fight the constant smear campaigns and
appeals to racial paranoia from FOX and the right-wing media. But it's
completely shameful and outrageous for the Obama administration to throw
innocent public servants under the bus just to avoid having to fight back
against the lies.
If enough of us call out the White House and tell them to stop running
scared from FOX News, they might listen. Please join us in standing up for
Shirley Sherrod, and demanding that the White House do the right thing now:
http://www.colorofchange.org/shirley/?id=1667-1152329
Thanks and Peace,
-- James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Milton and the rest of the
ColorOfChange.org team
July 21, 2010
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References:
1. "Fox smears Sherrod as racist, Sherrod cancels Fox interview,"
Media Matters for America, 7-20-2010
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/331?akid=1525.561851.ZDVXbO&t=7
2. "NAACP 'snookered' over video of former USDA employee," CNN,
7-20-2010
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/335?akid=1525.561851.ZDVXbO&t=9
3. "Official: No WH pressure on Sherrod," Politico, 7-20-2010
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/336?akid=1525.561851.ZDVXbO&t=11
4. "Obama briefed after Sherrod incident," CNN Politics, 7-20-2010
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/337?akid=1525.561851.ZDVXbO&t=13
5. See Reference 2
6. See Reference 1
7. See Reference 2
8. See Reference 2
9. See Reference 2
10. See Reference 3
--
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