There might be some silver linings that come out of the scandal of Shirley Sherrod being pushed out of the Agriculture Department.

One is a backlash against Breitbarting -- hit-and-run misinformation campaigns that are somehow allowed to masquerade, at least in some quarters, as journalism.

But the other may be that it finally brings a spotlight on the real racial problems that have plagued the USDA, most notably decades of policies that pushed thousands of African-American and Native American farmers off their land, especially in the South.

Today at 4pm EST, I'll be talking about the history of racism at the Agriculture Department and the legal and political battles that still face farmers of color on Hugh Hamilton's show TalkBalk! on WBAI 99.5 FM New York.

Tune in live and listen here! If you want to join the conversation, you can call in at 212-209-2900.