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July 20th, 2010
01:16 PM ET

Ex-worker: USDA 'wasn't interested in hearing the truth'

CNN Wire Staff

[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/07/20/c1main.sherrod.08.cnn.jpg caption="Sherrod says her remarks were taken out of context" width=300 height=169]

A former USDA employee who resigned after a video surfaced of her talking about a white farmer told CNN on Tuesday that the administration "wasn't interested in hearing the truth."

Shirley Sherrod, who resigned Monday as the department's state director of rural development for Georgia, told CNN she had four calls telling her the White House wanted her to resign. She said she was driving at the time, and the last call asked her to pull to the side of the road and offer her resignation.

Sherrod's resignation came after media outlets aired the video, in which she tells and audience she did not give the white farmer "the full force of what I could do" to help him avoid foreclosure.

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Filed under: 360° Radar
soundoff (6 Responses)
  1. Gary Roberson, California

    Ms. Sherrod has been treated unfairly. She seems to be a very nice, caring person. She is the type of person who should be in a position of helping others. Besides, I don’t see anything wrong with her speech. As a retired school teacher, at the end of each school year, I have always felt that I did not do enough for my students. I always felt that there was more that I could have done. That does not mean that I was a bad teacher. It simply means that by experience I got better at what I was doing. Ms. Sherrod should get her job back with a promotion, a raise, and a public apology.

    July 20, 2010 at 9:17 pm |
  2. Gen

    All this, tells us that we need to get the facts before we point the finger at someone! Who ever ran with this story without getting the facts, should be the one responsible for getting this woman fired.
    To Roland Martin............ you just don't get it do you?? Shame on you!
    She should be given her job back............ Tom Vilsack made the wrong decision....big mistake.
    To Mrs Sherrod................ sue all of them!! They all deserve it!
    My prayers are with you and your family.

    July 20, 2010 at 7:45 pm |
  3. Steven in Denver

    If Mrs. Sherrod had not been asked to resign the right-wingers would be howling that "racism by blacks" was being tolerated by the Obama administration. As we learned from the "ACORN" ambush, taking quotes out of context is the modus operandi of Fox et al. It is actually commendable that Mrs. Sherrod was honest with herself twenty-plus years ago, learned from that honesty and sought to share the lesson she learned with others in her NAACP speech, but if there is a "zero tolerance" policy about even the appearance of racism it would be inconsistent not to insist she resign after her "confession," and that would be the story of the day.

    July 20, 2010 at 7:21 pm |
  4. Zach

    What was said by the white farmer that made Mrs. Sherrod feel he believed he was superior to her?

    July 20, 2010 at 5:07 pm |
  5. William of Iowa

    NAACP takes on the Tea Party, Fox defends and takes on the NAACP, the administration reacts and demands the resignation of Sherrod, which they get. The poor white farmer doesn't get it! They kept the farm and thanked the woman for her help, which wasn't by admission, her best effort. Is everyone happy? You satisfied? Taken your pound of flesh and changed the world? Who cares about atonement and learning to change for the better – just get out the gun and pull the trigger.

    July 20, 2010 at 2:58 pm |
  6. Mr. B

    racism is racism black or white! I am a black man, I will not protect Mrs. Sherrod in one hand and ask the tea party to kick out racist. Decisions based on race is racism plan and simple!

    July 20, 2010 at 1:49 pm |

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