SRBWI Statement in Support of Shirley Sherrod

Shirley Sherrod, our friend and a founder of the Southern Rural Black Women's Initiative for Economic and Social Justice (SRBWI) was recently forced to resign from her position as USDA Georgia State Director of Rural Development. The resignation was due to allegations
of racism based on remarks delivered in March at a local NAACP banquet in Georgia. Shirley's remarks described a situation some 24 years ago while she was working for a not for-profit organization when a white farmer asked her to help him save his land. Shirley provided assistance to this farmer and in the process came to understand that discrimination was not always about race, but more about people who lacked power and resources. The hasty decision made by the Secretary of Agriculture is indicative of the defining issues of race and class in our country.

Shirley has spent the past 44 years fighting for economic and social justice for all people. She pledged to do this on the night her Father died, brutally murdered by a white man in the segregated South in 1965. She has served with distinction and honor; leading the Georgia office of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/ Land Assistance Fund for the past 24 years. Prior to her appointment as Director of Rural Development, Shirley served as Georgia State Lead for SRBWI, helping to promote the first human rights agenda in the United States aimed at eradicating historical race, class, cultural, religious and gender barriers experienced by southern rural black women.

Shirley began her work in 1965 as an organizer with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Southwest Georgia Project. She is co-founder of the Southwest Georgia Project for Community Education, Inc. and also helped to start a land trust called New Communities, Inc., that owned 6,000 acres of land outside of Albany, Georgia. During that time, she also worked with rural women to organize childcare/pre school programs throughout southwest Georgia and was intensively involved in voter registration and education projects that led to the election of a large number of African Americans to public office.

In 1993, Shirley was awarded a three-year fellowship from the Kellogg National Fellowship Program. Due to her tireless efforts, Shirley has been the recipient of many awards.

SRBWI offers its support and great admiration for Shirley in whatever she decides to do in the future. You may also wish to email your support to Shirley at smsherrod@mindspring.com

Sincerely

The Southern Rural Black Women's Initiative Executive Committee

Sophia Bracy Harris, FOCAL, SRBWI Alabama State lead
Mikhiela Sherrod, Southwest Georgia Project for           Community Education, SRBWI Georgia State lead
Oleta Garrett Fitzgerald, Southern Regional Office      Children's Defense Fund, SRBWI Mississippi State lead
Winifred Green, SCEE, SRBWI Senior Consultant
Sarah Bobrow-Williams, SRBWI Asset and Finance      Development
Carol Blackmon, CB Enterprises & Associates, Inc., SRBWI      Consultant

Written by Wendy Shenefelt, SRBWI Regional Youth Organizer

The Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative for Economic and Social Justice (SRBWI) sponsored a trip to Memphis, Tennessee for five young women to attend the National Civil Rights Museum’s 2007 Freedom Awards and the Freedom Awards Public Forum.  Established in 1991 to pay tribute to individuals whose accomplishments depict the spirit of the Civil Rights Movement, the National Civil Rights Museum annually selects a national, international and lifetime achievement award recipient of the Freedom Award.  2007 Freedom Awards Honorees were  More>>