And there's a lots more to the story of Saint Shirley. At Fox News, "Official Ousted From Ag Department Had Taken USDA to Court, Won":
Days before she was appointed to the USDA post last year, her group reportedly won a $13 million settlement in a longstanding discrimination suit against the USDA known commonly as the Pigford case.Interesting (RTWT). But note what else Secretary Schafer had to say:
The Rural Development Leadership Network announced last summer that New Communities Inc. -- a group Sherrod formed with husband Charles, who is a civil rights activist, and with other black farmers -- had reached the agreement. The RDLN said the USDA had "refused" to offer new loans or restructure old loans to members of New Communities, leading to the discrimination claim ....
Sherrod's settlement was a drop in the bucket in terms of the money the federal government has paid out in Pigford claims to other black farmers over the years. The suit claimed the USDA racially discriminated against black farmers by not giving them fair treatment when they applied for loans or assistance. The case was first settled in 1999, resulting to date in more than $1 billion in compensation
payments from the federal government.
In addition, the Obama administration has called for another $1.15 billion to settle claims for other black farmers -- Congress has not yet granted the money.
However, the case has attracted some scrutiny.
Former Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer told Fox News that while those who were discriminated against "should be reimbursed," there are other hangers-on trying to game the system.
"The problem you have with the class-action lawsuits is a lot of people jump in that may be on the fringe, that maybe don't deserve it, that sounded good because their neighbor got a check ... (It) is very expensive, very time consuming ... It probably in the long run is going to be cheaper just to settle the whole thing -- so some people will get paid that probably don't deserve it. And to me, I don't like that kind of thing. I like to settle it on merit."Look, this is a massive social justice payday. The feds have been doling out enormous wads of money in a modern agricultural racial reparations regime. And it's basically totally off the radar. Who needs 40 acres and a mule when you got the "Minority Farm Settlement" program?
Look at this press release:
Minority Farm SettlementAnd at the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund:
Justice Achieved - Congratulations to Shirley and Charles Sherrod!
We have wonderful news regarding the case of New Communities, Inc., the land trust that Shirley and Charles Sherrod established, with other black farm families in the 1960's. At the time, with holdings of almost 6,000 acres, this was the largest tract of black-owned land in the country. Now with a cash award of historic proportions, the group will be able to begin again ....
In 1985, as the land was being lost, Shirley entered the RDLN program. Previously, she had worked behind the scenes, but as she participated in RDLN, she began to realize her capacity as an up-front leader. She invited the Federation of Southern Cooperatives to sponsor her in the RDLN program, earned her master's degree with a thesis that continues to provide a blueprint for her ongoing work with black farmers and others, helped orient all succeeding groups of RDLN Leaders, and became vice chair of RDLN's Board of Directors. As you all know, Shirley is Georgia Lead for both the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund and the Southern Rural Black Women's Initiative. She has also chaired the board of the Farmers Legal Action Group, which has been active in the minority farmers law suit, along with the Federation and other groups. FSC and SRBWI hosted RDLN's National Network Assembly in 2006, during which Network members had a chance to immerse themselves in Civil Rights history, with the guidance of Shirley and Charles (the first field director of SNCC), Albany singers and others, and to visit the economic development projects that have grown out of that Civil Rights history.
The Federation’s Shirley Sherrod Now Heads USDA's Rural Development in Georgia — Sherrod is the first African American to hold this position in Georgia.FREE AT LAST!!
We be talkin' some sweet affirmative action, yo!
See also, Washington Examiner, "Shirley Sherrod's Disappearing Act: Not So Fast" (via Instapundit).
RELATED: At LCR, "Shirley Sherrod: "Fox News and Tea Parties Scaring Obama Administration."
4 comments:
Wow you "American Power" just got pwned as the kids say...
That USDA give away under the Clinton Administration was pure pandering. They didn't win they case in court, the Administration wanted to settle with them. And instead of getting 2,000 claimants they got 13,000.
Somebody remind me why in 2010 we need a USDA. I think we could get rid of that whole department and let the market decide. People are still bringing discrimination cases against the Department today. If the State is such a racist enterprise, then our black brothers and sisters should agree that the whole department needs to go.
This isn't Civil Rights Era stuff, they are bringing cases about the government discriminating in the 80s, 90s and even now.
The Clinton Administration was quick to appease and agree that the government was racist, but who did they fire? Who was to blame? Where was the racist? If the Department was racist, what did they do to change it? Nothing that I can tell except cutting checks to 13,000 people.
And more are lining up.
It is time to abolish the USDA.
Damn, it's good to have Andrew Breitbart and his Alinskybat in the lineup~!
Obama is just giving African Americans the money due them from slavery. Reimbursement for race through the back-door. This administration just calls it by different names.Obama uses the back door every chance he gets. That with his lawyers to defame .
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