Shirley Sherrod, head of the Department of Agriculture’s rural development office in Georgia, was forced to resign earlier this week after a two-and-a-half minute video clip emerged over the weekend which suggested that she had discriminated against a white farmer 24 years ago. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) released a statement late Monday condemning the remarks Sherrod made at a NAACP luncheon earlier this year. The news came a week after the NAACP and the Tea Party movement became embroiled in accusations of racism and bigotry after a high-ranking Tea Party spokesperson was expelled after he published a blog about slavery that was deemed to be racist.
It was subsequently determined that the edited clip of Sherrod's speech did not include the portion of the speech in which she said the episode had taught her the importance of overcoming personal prejudices. Sherrod has since received an apology from the administration and the NAACP, and she has been offered another job with the Department of Agriculture. This incident has sparked a national conversation about politics and race. It also highlights how words taken out of context can be construed incorrectly. What is the lesson to be learned from this experience? How can those lessons positively impact the diversification of the legal profession? How can those lessons positively impact your law firm? Is your firm discussing this event? If yes, are these discussions helping your firms diversity efforts?"
