EPES, Ala. — Shirley Sherrod said Saturday she plans to meet with U.S. Agriculture Department Secretary Tom Vilsack next week to discuss a new job offer after a conservative blogger's video clip made her appear racist and led to her forced resignation from a post in Georgia.
Sherrod, speaking at the annual meeting of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, said she was not sure if she would take the outreach post offered.
She said she had no ill feelings toward Vilsack's boss, President Obama, or NAACP President Ben Jealous, who had also urged her to resign before learning that the video had misconstrued her comments, which were about racial reconciliation and were given to an NAACP group.
"They wanted me to say something negative about my president. They wanted me to say something negative about the NAACP," she said. "They won't get that from me."
Jealous joined her at the federation program in rural west Alabama, saying he had learned to "slow down" in times of apparent crisis.
"In these days of the 24 hour news cycle, the pressure is to react immediately and that's what I did when I heard about the original misleading tape," Jealous said. "It doesn't hurt to think things over a day or two."
Sherrod said she will meet Tuesday in Washington with the agriculture secretary, who apologized for actions taken by the department when the edited video from blogger Andrew Breitbart was first broadcast.
"I have been told that I am actually on administrative leave, but my understanding is that I resigned when the department asked me to before they knew the whole story," she said.
She said she had been offered the job of deputy director for outreach and advocacy, but gave no indication whether she will accept it. She had been director of rural development in Georgia for the federal agency.
"I would also really like to know why is it I wasn't offered the position I had," she said. "So I don't really know where I am at this point."
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Video of Ga. Man Who Killed Girl Released
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Nevada Highway Patrol, City Settle Beating Case
White House Attacks Romney on Birth Control
Homs Bombardment Continues, Global Outcry Grows
Mo. Teen Gets Life Sentence for Killing Girl, 9
Lower-hassle Screening to Be Tested at Airports
Raw Video: Dog Rescued From Icy Colo. Water
Helmet Camera Captures Calif. Fire Rescue
Worker Tells 911: Powell 'exploded the House'
Triple Win: Santorum Takes Minn., Mo., Colo.
Injured Marine Inspired by Homecoming
No Rape Charges Against Son of NYPD Commissioner
Egypt's Ruling Generals Play Risky Game With US
Former Komen Exec Defends Funding Cut
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
Calif. Gay Marriage Ban Ruled Unconstitutional
Jury Selection for Ex-UVa Athlete Enters 2nd Day
