Sherrod’s ordeal a lesson in staying positive in hard times

For the past few weeks, the country has watched former Department of Agriculture employee Shirley Sherrod fight against the injustices that have been thrust upon her.

On July 19, 2010, Sherrod (Mrs. Sherrod, as she prefers to be called) was forced to resign from her position as the Director of Agriculture for the state of Georgia due to accusations claiming that she had been racially biased in regards to providing help to a white farmer.

These faulty allegations were made public by conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart.

He posted a doctored clip of Sherrod addressing NAACP members at a meeting last March. It made it sound as though Sherrod limited the amount of aid she provided to the farmer's family because he was white. This, of course, was not at all what Sherrod said.

Almost immediately after the clip was posted to Breitbart's website, it went viral, and Sherrod had allegedly become a card-carrying racist.

Fox News got ahold of the story early on, adding their own personal insults to the already defamatory story. Bill O'Reilly was the first to air the doctored clip on national television, stating that Sherrod needed to resign.

After the damage had already been done, it was discovered that the clip had been doctored and that Sherrod was not guilty.

In Breitbart's case, the unveiling of the truth brought the prompt end of his career by destroying his credibility.

For Fox News and Bill O'Reilly, it brought more attention to the fact that both have long-standing reputations for prejudice, inaccuracies and biased news coverage.

Considering that the network's motto is "Fair and Balanced," it appears that they continually fall short of providing that type of news.

Since the drama began in mid-July, Sherrod has been fired, cleared of all accusations, and offered apologies by the USDA, President Obama, the NAACP, Fox News and Bill O'Reilly.

She has also been offered numerous jobs, including the one she was forced to resign from. Many people feel that the situation should be over because all the guilty parties (except Breitbart) have tried to make amends.

It is true that her name has been cleared and she has become a national figure, but that doesn't negate the fact that her life was torn apart by manipulative people with an agenda.

It was discovered that Breitbart aired the doctored clip as a strategy to harm the credibility of the NAACP, Shirley Sherrod.

Sherrod has done many interviews since the incident occurred. One of the most widely publicized was her interview July 29 with CNN's Don Lemon and other news correspondents at the 2010 National Association of Black Journalists Convention in San Diego.

During the interview, Sherrod spoke openly about the ordeal and how it had affected her life. I had the privilege of being one of the members in the audience.

Sherrod was candid about the state of race relations in this country.

Usually people in her positions talk about racial issues and injustice with a counterproductive apprehension and vagueness.

In listening to Sherrod in person and on TV, it is easy to see that this situation has caused her a lot of pain and unnecessary drama.

It is also very apparent that it has upset her, and rightly so. But one thing it has not done is turn her into a bitter or hateful person.

Though her life has been turned upside down, she has remained dignified and positive. Circumstances like this could easily turn someone into a mean, even prejudice, individual.

She still feels that this situation should be used by America as a reminder that we still have a long way to go in terms of race relations. Sherrod has shown that you can stand up for what you believe is right without becoming negative and hateful.

When you are being attacked, it can be hard to refrain from harming those who have harmed you.

It is the bravest of people who can make it through terrible circumstances without stooping to the level of those who caused the hardship.

Sherrod said something that I will always remember, and that is if you stand up for what's right and treat people how you want to be treated, "right will win in the end."

That simple phrase could make this country a much better place if people would actually try to live by it.

Maybe one day.