An Open letter to Tom Vilsack

I sent the following e-mail to Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture

Secretary Vilsack,

As an Iowan I was proud when you were our Governor and when you went to Washington to become Secretary of Agriculture. After your actions in asking for Ms Sherrod's resignation I am no longer proud of you. I am listening to this woman's speech. The entire speech not the edited version sent out by those who would divide our country. I am afraid that you did not do your homework. Go and listen to the speech and then tell me why this woman who has overcome her father's murder by a white man to get beyond race and realize that it is really about the haves and the have nots.

In the end she did help those white folks save their farm. She gives credit to God for leading her. That may be. Whatever the cause she did the right thing and you did not. It will take you some time to watch this video. You owe it to her and to yourself to watch the entire video and then join the NAACP's President Ben Jealous who said that," after reviewing the full tape and speaking to Sherrod and the white farmers in question, the NAACP has realized it was

"snookered by Fox News and Tea Party Activist Andrew Breitbart into believing she had harmed white farmers because of racial bias."

"Next time we are confronted by a racial controversy broken by Fox News or their allies in the Tea Party like Mr. Breitbart, we will consider the source and be more deliberate in responding," he said

. Read the entire statement here )

I hope you will watch the video and then reverse your action and apologize to this fine woman and reinstate her.

--
Jay Cole Simser
Ames, Iowa

Addendum: Response from Tom Vilsack

Dear Jay Simser,

Thank you for contacting me regarding the events that transpired on the week of July 19, 2010. I have received many letters and emails expressing a wide range of thoughts and opinions. Some questioned the circumstances under which Mrs. Shirley Sherrod was initially asked to resign, others expressed a desire for further accountability for myself and others at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and still others were simply frustrated with the perception that the change they voted for in 2008 was not evident over the course of these events.

Admittedly, I reacted too quickly. As I stated in my news conference on Wednesday, July 21, 2010, I should have taken the time to gather all the facts before making what resulted in a hasty and incorrect decision. I also should have called Mrs. Sherrod to learn her version of the events that had transpired. As a result of my actions, a good woman was put through a very difficult event, and that is something I deeply regret.

I apologized to Mrs. Sherrod that Wednesday and told her I was sorry for the pain this must have caused her and her family. Thankfully, she graciously accepted my apology. While I cannot change what happened, I can try to make something out of this incident. I have offered Mrs. Sherrod a unique opportunity to continue her service at USDA, and I am hopeful that she accepts. USDA needs Mrs. Sherrod and people like her to continue the fight to overcome a history of failures in the area of civil rights.

I will continue to review the circumstances that brought us to this day and I am committed to learning from my mistake. I also remain deeply committed to ensuring progress in correcting USDA’s record on civil rights. In part, that commitment was what caused me to react with such haste when I read the incomplete text of Mrs. Sherrod’s speech. Since I began this job in January 2009, transforming the culture of USDA and resolving allegations of past discrimination quickly and fairly has been a top priority of mine. I am pleased that to date we have reviewed thousands of past complaints and begun to act to bring about justice for many individuals. However, we have much more work to do, and I will not stop until we are finished.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me and share your thoughts.

Sincerely,

Thomas J. Vilsack

Secretary