Obama says ousted Agriculture official deserved better, her story needs to be heard
By APThursday, July 29, 2010
Obama: America needs to hear Sherrod’s full story
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says Shirley Sherrod “deserves better than what happened last week” when the black Agriculture Department official was ousted in a racial firestorm over selective remarks.
Addressing the National Urban League on Thursday, Obama said the full story Sherrod was trying to tell “is exactly the kind of story we need to hear in America.”
Sherrod was forced to resign last week after a conservative website posted an edited video of her speaking about race. Sherrod said the video took her remarks out of context. When her full remarks were discovered, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack apologized and offered Sherrod a new job at the department.
Obama called the incident a bogus controversy and bemoaned the prejudices that still hold Americans back.
