[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 184 (Tuesday, December 4, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2468-E2469]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN HONOR OF SHIRLEY SHERROD

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 4, 2007

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Shirley 
Sherrod, who has worked determinedly for more than 20 years as the 
Georgia Director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives and Land 
Assistance Fund, an outstanding organization dedicated to enhancing 
rural communities through sustained operation of family farms.
  As a part of her work, Shirley has helped to run one of the countries 
most successful USDA Outreach and Technical Assistance Projects, 
providing assistance on debt restructuring, alternating crops, 
marketing, financial planning, recordkeeping, and farm management to 
minority and disadvantaged farmers. The project has operated in four 
states, and seen an increase in the number of minority-owned farms in 
two of those states.
  Shirley's leadership with the Federation of Southern Cooperatives 
exemplifies her lifetime of dedication to her community. Shirley's work 
began in 1965, where as an organizer for the Student Nonviolent 
Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Southwest Georgia Project, she helped to 
start a 6000-acre land trust. She also worked with women to organize 
childcare and pre-school programs, and was intensely dedicated to the 
numerous voter registration and education projects which helped African 
Americans become elected officials.

[[Page E2469]]

  A native of Newton, Georgia, Shirley received a degree in Sociology 
from Albany State University and later took graduate business studies 
at Valdosta State University. In 1989, she received a Master of Arts in 
Community Development from Antioch University.
  As the Congressman who represents Southwest Georgia, I hold in 
highest regard individuals like Shirley--those tireless advocates with 
the courage and conviction to reach out, touch, and impact the farthest 
boundaries of our community. May the Second Congressional District, 
Georgia, and indeed the country continue to benefit from her service.

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