[Oe List ...] Shirley Sherrod & generational tension

Fri Jul 23 12:17:40 CDT 2010

After I wrote this, I watched most of a 75 minute interview Julian Bond did with 
Benjamin Jealous (@ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tBc0G5gMSA) just before Bond 
'retired' as board chair last February. Clearly there are 'legacy issues' here, 
clearly Bond was anointing Jealous as the heir apparent etc.
But I was struck by the immense social distance between the bright-eyed and 
bushy-tailed Mr. Jealous and the wise and prophetic mentor who chose him.
I bet the phone lines were burning up the second Julian Bond got wind of what 
Mr. Jealous had unknowingly done to a member of the SNCC 'family', without any 
independent research, let alone checking with his mentor. Jealous probably 
thought he knew enough to handle this one. Not exactly!

Marshall

also see: 
 http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/politics/3028/the_‘christianization’_of_shirley_sherrod

________________________________
From: W. J. <synergi at yahoo.com>
To: Order Ecumenical Community <oe at wedgeblade.net>
Sent: Thu, July 22, 2010 8:08:45 PM
Subject: [Oe List ...] Shirley Sherrod & generational tension

I suspect that there's some generational tension between the young upstart 
president of the NAACP, Mr. Benjamin Todd Jealous (age 37), and his Board 
Chairman Julian Bond who, of course has known Charles Sherrod since they were 
among the founding fathers of SNCC.
From recent events one would think Ben and Julian weren't on the best of 
speaking terms, and certainly didn't consult on the matter of Shirley Sherrod 
before Mr. Jealous fired off his mouth. Of course jealous defensiveness wouldn't 
be a factor here now, would it? Or maybe needing to prove something?
You're right, Joyce, before the old guard is totally written off and dies off, 
some powerful healing needs to start happening.

Marshall

Anybody want to comment on generational tension in the O:E?

________________________________
From: "marilyncrocker at juno.com" <marilyncrocker at juno.com>
To: oe at wedgeblade.net
Sent: Thu, July 22, 2010 7:27:45 PM
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Shirley Sherrod

Bravo, Brother Marshall.  

Thanks on behalf of Joe and me and so many other of our  colleagues who worked 
on the front lines in the 60s under the guidance  of courageous people like the 
Rev. Charles Sherrod in GA; the Rev. Dr.  Martin Luther King Jr. at Boston 
University, then Selma, AL, etc;  the Rev.  David Carter in Newberry, S.C, and 
so many others.

I remember when a very young and powerfully articulate Julian Bond spoke to  a 
group of us in Boston in the early 60s.  What a profound call to a  ministry of 
service he offered (to which one way or another, I think I  responded) !

We must figure out a way to transfer the legacy.

With appreciation,

Marilyn

On Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:32:40 -0700 (PDT) "W. J." <synergi at yahoo.com> writes:
FYI.
>From: W. J.    <synergi at yahoo.com>
>To: Benjamin Todd Jealous <BJealous at naacpnet.org>
>Cc: Ms. Kia Heath    <KHeath at naacpnet.org>; Julian Bond    <JBond at naacpnet.org>
>Sent: Wed, July 21, 2010 2:25:34    PM
>Subject: Shirley    Sherrod
>
>
>Mr. Jealous, I am pleased that you reversed yourself and applauded    Shirley 
>Sherrod after the dustup which got her fired. You said your    organization was 
>"snookered."
>
>
>Yes you were. BUT, even taking into consideration your youth and the    very 
>recent time frame of your association with civil rights, how could you have 
>missed the civil rights history that is associated, particularly in    Georgia, 
>with the name SHERROD??
>
>
>I don't personally know Shirley Sherrod, but I have known, worked, and    
>studied at Union Theological Seminary in the 1960's with her husband, the    
>legendary Rev. Charles M. Sherrod, who was one of the founders, and the first    
>field director of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a leader of    
>the Student Interracial Ministry, an ally of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and    
>an organizer of the Southwest Georgia Project focused on the voter    
>registration struggle that went on for years in Albany, GA. Charles went on to    
>found New Communities, Inc., a not-for-profit organization in Albany that    
>worked with poor, mostly black farmers. The Sherrod family was instrumental in    
>advancing the lawsuit that finally put a stop to USDA's racial discrimination    
>with a $13 million dollar award to New Communities, Inc.
>
>
>Since you were apparently unaware of all this, you could simply have    asked 
>Julian Bond. 
>
>
>Or, using Google, you could have gone to the following web pages:
>http://www.pbs.org/thisfarbyfaith/witnesses/charles_sherrod.html
>http://www.ruraldevelopment.org/shirleydirector.html
>
>
>As one who is retiring and acknowledging a new generation of leadership,    my 
>concern is that you new guys not publicly fall on your faces due to a lack    of 
>knowledge and depth of appreciation for the history we all forged together    as 
>much as a half century ago. We all deserve better than that.
>
>
>Cordially yours,
>
>
>Rev. Wayne Marshall Jones, MDiv, MFT
>415/831-1537
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> 
> 
Marilyn R. Crocker, Ed.D
Crocker &  Associates, Inc.
123 Sanborn Road
West Newfield, ME 04095
(207)  793-3711

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