Her cousin was lynched in Georgia by a white sheriff in 1943; a white neighbor, who went uncharged despite three witnesses, killed her father. Despite witnessing such racially-charged crimes committed against her family, Shirley Sherrod overcame the odds and dedicated her life to racial healing. Still in Georgia, Sherrod founded the Southwest Georgia Project, which helps poor farmers sell their food to local schools, and is still working to bridge the racial divide that persists in her community today. Washington Monthly editor Ryan Cooper profiles Shirley Sherrod’s life of service in his article, “A Dedicated Life,” published in the January/February issue of the magazine, a special issue dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Read the full article, as well as other articles from the January/February issue of Washington Monthly. In conjunction with the release of this special issue of Washington Monthly, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Washington Monthly hosted an event in Washington D.C. on Jan. 25. Watch the C-SPAN coverage of the panel discussion.
