The-4Ls-Experience

...I would throw myself at Shirley Sherrod's feet.

I want to work for you, Shirley. I think you've got a case ;-)

Here's my beef (read: rant):

• How can you call yourself a leader and make such a hasty decision, Mr. Vilsack? How can you NOT search vigorously for the full facts of the case when RACE (of all possible issues for goodness sake) is at the heart of this debacle?
• NAACP, it is your job to sniff out this stuff. Where the hell were you? That's right, you were instigating mess. And your apology consists of a personal phone call and an offer to visit whenever you're in town, Mr. Jealous? No, thanks.
  

No, I do not condone people making professional choices that are motivated about personal conflicts of interest. I think it's true that Sherrod could have given more effort to do her job to the best of her abilities, not just because she was "capable of more" but because it is the right thing to do. But from what I understand, she did her job sufficiently enough to set the ground work that ultimately saved the farm in question. Her attitude wasn't so piss poor that the job didn't get done. This doesn't discount that she needed a stronger sense of character at the time, but then again, the fact that she spoke of her shortcoming speaks volumes. I admire her for telling the truth about her feelings, not because they were discriminatory, but because we all have personal feelings, and not many of us are willing to share our lowest points with a broader audience. Many of us just fester in hatred and disgust (for whatever reason), and don't even notice that many of our life choices (professional and personal alike) are largely determined by those negative feelings. At the very least, hers didn't accomplish that. And moreover, she overcame those feelings. For some reason, I have the distinct feeling that many who are in the racial rut never leave it.

I read the comments on media sites like CNN and local news stations, and it seems to me that people love these outlets so much because they love to anonymously spew racism. The most recent one I read said something along the lines that if a white man had made these statements, no one would be calling for an apology to him. In other words, why are we constantly apologizing to black people every time the race card is pulled?

I'm probably a bit biased, but I don't know how to be anything but honest here.

Discrimination and oppression, of the kind that blacks in America have experienced, cannot be dismissed by mere apology, so even numerous apologies over decades are inadequate, so I think a better question is, why haven't we, as a nation, gotten beyond the point where we need to question why it is necessary to have sensitivity toward the black citizen?

As a professional researcher, I am trained to avoid making causal links, but the fact that many of the social problems we face are concentrated within the black community: HIV, crime, inadequate education, poverty, homelessness....etc., is a bit more than a coincidence, in my opinion. At the very least, it is the strong evidence of what happens when a whole people seek relief from a social construct that was never established to support them. As many strides that have been made to try to correct for this, its damn near impossible to change the psyche of a person...a people who have come to terms with that truth. And it is absolutely impossible when evidence of racism resurfaces. They call us beggars, users, uncivilized, and losers because many of our people have not risen above the constraints that were once a lot more imposing, but there is a lot to be undone that has little to do with finances, in the grand scheme of things. It's really about knowing you've got a fair shot at leading a respectable life.

I'm blessed because despite my people's history, I grew up in a time where my parents had the strength to encourage me to rise above it all: to be fair and to seek fairness at every turn. This is a much easier task than it was for them...or their parents. Still, it's a larger task than meets the eye. I have to respect where I came from; I have to understand those roots to resolve them. To dig deeper for long-term solutions...to do my part.

I think this is why Sherrod has a large task in front of her to see this through to the end. Because she has been thrown into the limelight, she does not have the luxury of walking away quietly because we need strong people like her to defend principles. It's one thing to accept an apology, which I'm sure she's already done. Forgiveness is a wonderful thing (trust me, I know). And it's another to send a message... to set a standard. We cannot allow people to forget how to do their jobs: to uphold fairness (which they seemed to have been trying to do) and to seek truth (which they COMPLETELY missed), especially in cases where the cost of not doing so is far too high, with far too many implications. You cannot compromise someone's story, her job, and her character, and get away with it. But you know, that's what the media is accustomed to doing because they deal with what they've got. For leaders, people who are supposed to have good sense, to fall victim to that is negligent. Collect damages.

So, YES, if I had a JD, I would gladly represent Mrs. Sherrod. I'm sure we would be more than happy to take your shirts off your backs, Mr. Vilsack and Mr. Jealous. Please, and thank you.