Wrongful Firing of Shirley Sherrod. America's Struggle with Racism

The equality of men rests essentially on their dignity as persons and the rights that flow from it

The irony we face as a Nation is sad; the election of our Nations' first African American to the highest office of governance, the presidency, has not led to the much hoped for post-racial America. It seems that the allegations of racism are actually increasing. Whether it is the wrongful blanket allegations of racism against black people hurled against the loose knit movement called the Tea party by the NAACP, or this misguided knee jerk reaction arising out of an incorrect allegation of racism against white people, America can't seem to get free from the specter of racism. 

P>WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - Washington DC was abuzz Wednesday. One fire after another was being put out by an Administration clearly in damage control.  My friend, Ken Blackwell, in a piece he wrote for the Huffington Post entitled "Secretary Vilsack: Re-Hire Shirley Sherrod" issued one of many calls for the rehiring of Shirley Sherrod. He laid out the facts with crystal clarity. There was no racism involved and the insinuation that there was, whichever "side" it came from, was wrong. 

By the time Press Secretary Robert Gibbs addressed the Washington Press in a hastily called Press conference it was clear that the Obama administration was trying to climb out of a public relations hole. He apologized on behalf of the administration. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack later apologized to Shirley Sherrod and offered her a new job. She is still considering her response. The story is not over. Sources indicate it may lead to a Presidential address of some kind. They also indicate the President sees this as another "teachable moment". Let's see what that expression means this time.

Ken's account of this debacle is insightful: "Shirley Sherrod has just become the most famous employee of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Millions of Americans who have no idea who Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is know who Shirley Sherrod is. She's the relatively low-level USDA appointee who was forced to resign after telling a workshop at the recent NAACP Convention how she did not go all out to help a poor white farmer in rural Georgia who was threatened with the loss of his farm. That was twenty-four years ago, when she was working for another agency.

"The video clip is indeed damaging. But, as the late Paul Harvey always told us, here's the rest of the story. It seems Mrs. Sherrod overcame her initial reluctance to help the distressed farmer. She put aside feelings of bitterness, memories of humiliation and discrimination she herself had experienced as a young black woman in the rural South. And she helped the farmer and his family.

"The white "victims" in this highly publicized case refused to cooperate with the story line. When Mrs. Sherrod was unceremoniously pressured by the Obama White House into resigning, the farmer's wife said: "We probably wouldn't have (our farm) today if it hadn't been for her leading us in the right direction. I wish she could get her job back because she was good to us, I tell you."

In an interview with USA Today, Roger Spooner, the farmer who is at the center of this entire affair said "I hope she does get her job back -- if she wants it. I don't think they've done it right. But I can see where she's undecided about what she wants to do." It turns out that Shirley Sherrod actually helped the Spooners to keep their farm. In fact, they are still friends all these years later.

The irony we face as a Nation is sad; the election of our Nations' first African American to the highest office of governance, the presidency, has not led to the much hoped for post-racial America. It seems that the allegations of racism are actually increasing. Whether it is the wrongful blanket allegations of racism against black people hurled against the loose knit movement called the Tea party by the NAACP, or this misguided knee jerk reaction arising out of an incorrect allegation of racism against white people, America can't seem to get free from the specter of racism. 

The reason is that Racism is sin. Sin corrupts and separates. Racism must be condemned whenever and wherever it is found. Whether it is the racism expressed in the words of the thug who identified himself as a "New Black Panther" at the polling place in Philadelphia during the Presidential election against white people or racism against black people... or by or against Hispanic people, or by or against Asian people .. on and on. We need to call it when we see it and reject it, period.

Bobby Seale, an original leader of the original Black Panther Party called the "New" Black Panthers a "black racist hate group." He was right, they are. And there are white racist groups. Fortunately, they are dwindling in number. When racism is real, it must be exposed, opposed and dealt with. However, racism is being hurled about as an accusation way too often these days. The result is certainly not serving the common good. 

In its treatment of "Respect for the Human Person" the Catechism of the Catholic Church summarizes the ground upon which the Church opposes all racism, in every one of its manifestations, it is an attack against the dignity of the human person. " The person represents the ultimate end of society, which is ordered to him: What is at stake is the dignity of the human person, whose defense and promotion have been entrusted to us by the Creator, and to whom the men and women at every moment of history are strictly and responsibly in debt.

"Respect for the human person entails respect for the rights that flow from his dignity as a creature. These rights are prior to society and must be recognized by it. They are the basis of the moral legitimacy of every authority: by flouting them, or refusing to recognize them in its positive legislation, a society undermines its own moral legitimacy. If it does not respect them, authority can rely only on force or violence to obtain obedience from its subjects. It is the Church's role to remind men of good will of these rights and to distinguish them from unwarranted or false claims.

"Respect for the human person proceeds by way of respect for the principle that "everyone should look upon his neighbor (without any exception) as 'another self,' above all bearing in mind his life and the means necessary for living it with dignity." No legislation could by itself do away with the fears, prejudices, and attitudes of pride and selfishness which obstruct the establishment of truly fraternal societies. Such behavior will cease only through the charity that finds in every man a "neighbor," a brother.

"The duty of making oneself a neighbor to others and actively serving them becomes even more urgent when it involves the disadvantaged, in whatever area this may be. "As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.".  Created in the image of the one God and equally endowed with rational souls, all men have the same nature and the same origin. Redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ, all are called to participate in the same divine beatitude: all therefore enjoy an equal dignity.

"The equality of men rests essentially on their dignity as persons and the rights that flow from it: Every form of social or cultural discrimination in fundamental personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God's design." (CCC # 1930 - 1935)

The wrongful firing of Shirley Sherrod and America's Continuing Struggle with the Sin of Racism calls every Catholic, every Christian, every person of faith, and all people of good will to stop, reflect, and reform our life, with the help of God. We must recommit ourselves to being neighbor to all men and women. That means every neighbor - from the first home of the whole human race, the womb, throughout the entirety of our life together unto our natural death. We have undermined what the Catechism calls our "moral legitimacy" in the way we treat one another.

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