order non hybrid seeds LandRightsNFarming: Re: EPA/USDA the struggle for dignity continues

Friday, May 27, 2011

Re: EPA/USDA the struggle for dignity continues



On Thu, May 26, 2011 at 10:33 PM, <nofearcoalition@aol.com> wrote:

The struggle at USDA and EPA continues, please distribute.  

 
 

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FEDERAL EMPLOYEES INFURIATED BY STALLING OBAMA POLITICAL APPOINTEES

Wed, 05/25/2011 - 07:51 — kmbmg
Washington, D.C. – "The President needs to take a long hard look at his appointees and let them
know that they are public servants and they cannot just pay lip service to civil rights issues under
his administration," said Marsha Coleman-Adebayo. "In April, Lisa Jackson and Tom Vilsack met
with farmers and ranchers in Iowa to discuss EPA and USDA's joint efforts to ensure that American
agriculture continues to be productive. Maybe it's time for them to get together again to address their
own internal civil rights problems and come up with a viable solution that is also productive."
Lisa Perez Jackson, EPA Administrator, and Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, are both mired
in civil rights problems. Their approach to fixing those problems appears to be the old trick of "get
a consultant, produce a report, and form some committees." Both are also using the current buzz
words "diversity, inclusion and accessibility," yet both have yet to address their situations head on.
Administrator Jackson failed to respond to Richard Renner, legal counsel to the National
Whistleblower Center, when he asked her to respond in five days to comments made by her recently
appointed Civil Rights Director, Rafael DeLeon. DeLeon had his own civil rights problems that
should have been considered before he was reassigned to that office. In 1995, he had numerous
complaints filed against him while he was Acting Civil Rights Director. Sixteen years later he is back
in the position and another group of employees have filed complaints of discrimination and retaliation
against him, mainly women.
 
Recently, DeLeon was charged with calling noted EPA whistleblowers, Marsha Coleman-Adebayo,
and the former Assistant Director of the Office of Civil Rights, Susan Morris, "Pink Elephants" in a
conference call heard throughout the agency. In that call, DeLeon also referred to Coleman-Adebayo
as "the EPA Rosa Parks." A spokesperson for Jackson said that a review would be made of Mr.
DeLeon's alleged racist and sexist comments. The NWC has given the Administrator leeway but has
expressed frustration at how long it takes to respond to a simple question as to whether her praised
civil rights director made these statements.
 
Secretary Vilsack is getting similar heat as Jackson for refusing to address his own civil rights
problems effectively at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. President Lawrence Lucas of the largest
employee group, USDA Coalition of Minority Employees, has asked for a meeting with the Agriculture
Secretary for over two years, but Vilsack has refused to meet with him. A meeting was set for May
20th with Joe Leonard, Jr., Assistant Secretary of Civil Rights, but after it was found that Secretary
Vilsack would not make himself available, the meeting was cancelled. Lucas said, "There continues
to be a strategy to cover up the discrimination and other widespread abuse going on inside USDA,
just like the EPA story is on the street and in the press, so will USDA."
 
Jackson has even more problems than are currently on the surface, so we expect more in the near
future. Both Coleman-Adebayo and Morris are on their way to a jury trial in District Court and it
doesn't look good for the agency. Being called "the EPA Black and White Women Cases," these two
women have been joined by others who are going forward against the agency and have asked for
DeLeon's firing.
 
"What does it take for the Administrator to admit she made a mistake in putting DeLeon in the civil
rights office with all of the complaints filed against him? If I were to do a count, I believe it would be
13 or more complaints, almost all by women, at least 9 by civil rights employees. There are four active
complaints filed against him in the short time he has been returned to be the Director's position by
Administrator Jackson," said Coleman-Adebayo. "Something is seriously wrong with this picture. Is
one man more important than all of these employees, particularly women?"
"I do not know why agencies cannot get their acts together when it comes to civil rights in this country
after all these years. The problem is not with the civil rights employees who are doing their jobs, it
is with the leadership. If they want to do the right thing, they should consider hiring experts instead
of doing the same old things and getting the same old results," said Susan Morris. "Give me a 'tiger
team' of trained and respected civil rights professionals and we will clean up some of the problems
while building an authentic civil rights program. We need a positive approach rather then giving it
public relations window dressing and allowing more minorities and women to be harmed by punitive
methods and management."
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FEDERAL EMPLOYEES INFURIATED BY STALLING OBAMA POLITICAL ...
his administration," said Marsha Coleman-Adebayo. ... Recently, DeLeon was charged with calling noted EPA whistleblowers, Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, ...
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