Shirley Sherrod Suing Blogger for Defamation

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Date: Friday, July 30, 2010, 5:37 am
By: Jackie Jones, BlackAmericaWeb.com

TJMS contributor Roland Martin speaks with Shirley Sherrod after she addresses the NABJ Convention Thursday. (AP)

Shirley Sherrod said she doesn’t need an apology from Andrew Breitbart, the Tea Party activist who posted an edited two-minute clip of her giving a speech in March that cost the Agriculture Department official her job.

“I don’t want it (but) he’s going to hear from me,” Sherrod told the National Association of Black Journalists on Thursday, confirming that she plans to file a defamation suit against Breitbart.

“I definitely will do it,” she said.

Sherrod was forced to resign after Breitbart posted the clip, edited from a 43-minute speech at an NAACP banquet, in which Sherrod appeared to say she had refused to help a white farmer save his farm because of his race.

A full version of the speech later was revealed that Sherrod said that helping the farmer helped her realize that the issue of saving family farms was beyond race and was really an issue of helping the poor.

“I wish he had been here because I really would like to talk to him,” she said of Breitbart during the opening plenary session at the 35th annual black journalists convention, being held this week in San Diego.

The early buzz was that Sherrod might reveal whether she would take a new position with the Agriculture Department, offered after Obama administration officials and the president himself apologized to Sherrod for the way she was treated.

“(Administration officials have) been calling me since 4 o’clock this morning,” Sherrod said. “I am so far from being about to do that. I haven’t had a chance to really read the offer ... The offer says ‘draft.’ I have to ask them what that means.”

Sherrod said she has not spoken with Cheryl Cook, the USDA official who urged Sherrod to resign when the controversy broke because she feared Sherrod would be the topic of discussion for conservative talk show host Glenn Beck.

“No, I haven’t heard from Cheryl since this happened,” Sherrod said. “There are quite a few issues I would like to talk to her about.”

Sherrod said she was stunned by the NAACP’s rapid denunciation of her remarks based on the two-minute clip, but she was willing to continue to work with the civil rights organization.

“I’m not angry. Personally, I don’t have a problem with (NAACP President) Benjamin Jealous or any one else in the NAACP. I can work with them ... It’s not about me; it’s about us.”

Despite her experience, Sherrod said she believes the country can heal its racial divisions — if people are willing to confront the issue.

"Young African-Americans, young whites, too, we've done such a job of trying to be mainstream that we push things under the rug that we need to talk about. And then we get to situations like this," she said.

"I truly believe that we can come together in this country. But you don't (come together) by not talking to each other. You don't get there by pushing things under the rug."

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Associated Press contributed to this article.

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Comments On this Article

She has the right to sue, win or lose...perhaps folks will think twice when they post things on the internet or make ugly remarks about folks, regardless of what race they may be...

by
Smi7brn
August 2, 2010, 11:27 pm
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Good luck Mrs. Sherrod.....If I was in your position I WOULD SUE TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by
Della1
August 2, 2010, 7:07 pm
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I am glad she is suing. The only time you get respect from certain folk is when you hit where it hurts, their pockets (pocketbook.) Too bad she can't sue her ex-boss for stupidity in not checking out the facts first. She probably has a lot of ignorant people threatening her due to this jerk blogger.

by
Kablanche
August 2, 2010, 1:41 pm
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True,there are lots of cowsrds who would rather Mrs Sherrod fade away and forget about her defamation.But what about her justice? If her case is so weak what made the true racists case so strong? What if it were you? Sounds like you would go whimpering back in your cellar and not put up a fight.One of the reasons our civil rights were ignored so long

by
Jimmyg
August 2, 2010, 1:36 pm
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First, Ms. Sherrod will likely loose her law suit because her case is weak, and she will then be responsible to pay all of the court cost and legal fees for bringing the suit. Second, those that choose not to look at the video on Mr. Sherrod only show there inability to consider all the facts of the story. Thus, they make weak arguments and weak analysis of the political consequences.

by
Sharran0412
August 1, 2010, 9:53 am
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