Native Americans who have sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture alleging discrimination say they, like many African Americans, were taken aback by the agency's hasty firing of a black mid-level official last week after she was falsely accused of racism.
Shirley Sherrod was quickly vindicated, receiving apologies from the agency and the White House -- and an offer of a new job from Secretary Tom Vilsack. Though Sherrod has yet to say whether she will accept the offer, she said at the National Association of Black Journalists conference in San Diego on Thursday that she plans to sue Andrew Breitbart, the conservative blogger who posted the misleading video that led to her troubles.
On the heels of the incident, Native American farmers and ranchers say the USDA has failed to address their complaints.
Vilsack has promised that the agency will investigate the allegations, and it did reopen thousands of discrimination complaints that George W. Bush's administration had dismissed. But Indian farmers say offenses have continued since 1999, when they filed a class-action lawsuit alleging discrimination in USDA farm loans from 1981 to 1999.
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