About the Program
Shirley Sherrod, former U.S.D.A. Georgia State Director of Rural Development, recalls the controversy that ensued following the late conservative blogger, Andrew Breitbart's release of a clip taken from a speech Ms. Sherrod delivered to the Georgia NAACP. The clip made it appear that Ms. Sherrod was guilty of racial prejudice and on July 19, 2010 she was asked to resign her position. It later became apparent that the video included selectively excerpted pieces from the speech and Sherrod's critics and the Obama administration apologized for their rush to judgment. Shirley Sherrod was offered another position in the Agriculture Department, which she declined. Shirley Sherrod speaks at the Schomburg Center in New York City.