Shirley Sherrod declines USDA job offer after racist fiasco

Shirley Sherrod Photo Credit: CBS

After two hours of meeting today, Tom Vilsack, the Secretary of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Shirley Sherrod, the former USDA Georgia Director of Rural Development held a press conference.

During the press conference, Sherrod, who was wrongly accused of racism and forced to resign discussed the UDSA's offer for her to rejoin the USDA after its racist fiasco.

Sherrod declined Vilsack's offer to rejoin the department for a more senior position – to serve as deputy director of USDA's office of outreach and advocacy. The position would have been in Washington, according to administration officials. She also declined a position based in Georgia, her home town. From the press conference, I got the impression that the description of the new position was either not clearly explained, an effective position or it was unclear to Sherrod.

Sherrod, a Black or African American, was wrongly accused of racism and forced to resign by Vilsack. Sherrod was appointed to that position by the Obama's administration in July 2009 to manage more than 40 housing, business and community infrastructure and facility programs, and more than $114 billion in federal loans.

If history repeats itself, I expect a pending lawsuit from Sherrod against the USDA for pain and suffering. My prediction is based upon a previous lawsuit Pigford vs Vilsack. As result of that lawsuit, New Communities was expected to or has received approximately $13 million ($8,247,560 for loss of land and $4,241,602 for loss of income; plus $150,000 each to Shirley and Charles for pain and suffering) from the government. New Communities, Inc., is the land trust that Shirley and Charles Sherrod established, with other black farm families in the 1960’s.

In April 2010, President Obama authorized the payment of $1.25 billion for long-ignored claims of African-American farmers. The Obama administration reached the historic settlement after a lawsuit claiming decades of brutal mistreated and racial discrimination against African-American farmers by the USDA. It is reported that Republican senators are literally sitting on that check.

Systemic racism against African America farmer is widely reported and acknowledged by the USDA.