12 posts tagged “nigga”
At the NAACP's Northeastern Regional Conference the youth/college division of the NAACP held a mock funeral for the word n**ger. It's nothing but a ceremonial display but it makes an excellent point. Read the story by clicking the link below:
http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-nword0421.artapr21,0,3863223.story?coll=hc-headlines-local
The book Bury That Sucka! A Scandalous Love Affair With The N-word, is written in a manner that all can understand. The points are well taken and the wording is easy to follow. There are quotes from great people in our history including Martin Luther King, Jr., Albert Einstein, Mark Twain and many, many others. There is a mixture of history with honesty, love with life, and education with effects. This is a great book for educators, parents, managers, professionals, newsmen, and anyone else wanting an in-depth look at the N-word, the effects and the solutions.
Book is available online, Barnes&Noble.com, Amazon.com and all of the major bookstores nationwide, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Waldenbooks, etc. If your local bookstore doesn’t have it in stock simply request that they order it for you, but you will need to supply them with the ISBN # 1-4137-9269-3. To learn more about the author and book please visit: http://www.burythatsucka.com or call 301-695-1707 (publisher).
Monday, March 12, 2007, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in New York, Patti Smith sang the song Rock and Roll N*gger. In the song reference is made to Ghandi and Jesus as being n*ggers and thus Patti’s explanation for singing the song was “the song was written as an attempt to elevate the n-word to a mantle of honor by applying it to the world's great outsiders.”
This is just simply unacceptable. Can you imagine someone advancing the idea that the phrase or slogan “Heil Hitler” being raised to a mantle of honor? We all know how insulting that phrase is and therefore no American will use it. For something like 15 years that name terrorized much of the world.
In retrospect the n-word terrorized the hearts and minds of a race of people for more than 250 years. During this era the n-word was justification for death and destruction that was unleashed upon the African American, unlike anything ever witnessed by humankind on the face of this earth, before or since. Hitler’s escapades in comparison would be like child’s play. To take this very same word and embrace it with tender loving care and want to raise it to a mantle of honor is moronic and borders on the line of imbecility. And just because there are those African Americans who are asleep at the wheel doesn’t mean that we all are.
United Voices for a Common Cause, says enough is enough. . No longer is it acceptable to dishonor and desecrate the memories of our ancestors and spit upon their graves with the very word that was used to dehumanize them…the n-word. No longer are we going to overlook their struggles and sacrifices by embracing the very word that was used to terrorize and traumatize their hearts, minds and bodies. In other words no longer are we going to allow the memories of our ancestors to be trampled upon and disrespected. No longer is it acceptable for contemporary African Americans to disrespect themselves…and no LONGER is UVCC going to allow non-blacks to insult our intelligence by trying to minimize and trivialize the TRUE meaning of the n-word.
All good things must eventually come to an end and the practice of using the minds of African Americans as a wasteland where you can feel free to dump any ole thing upon it is about to come to an end. All races and nationalities have their pride...it's time the African American crashes the party and get some racial pride of their own and there is nothing prideful about referring to each other as the n-word...absolutely nothing. To learn more about the United Voices for a Common Cause please go to http://www.theunitedvoices.org
“Facing the rising sun of our new day begun
Let us march on ‘til victory is won”
The above quote is a line from the Negro National Anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing.
First in l863 the signing of the Proclamation of Emancipation then the signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Bill…freedom triumphantly prevails? Yet, the end of one journey signifies the beginning of another…the responsibilities and obligations of assimilating this freedom…the rising sun of new challenges.
Presently, there are some pressing issues enveloping the Black community, i.e. economic deprivation, black on black crime, homelessness, drugs, gangs and the list goes on. What happened? And how do we resolve these issues? Has the Black community, since l965, been retrogressing?
Facts indicate that tremendous strides have indeed been made. The doors of opportunity have opened up in many directions. Corporate , television, the political world, and statesmanship, etc.; consequently, most of white America looks at black America and say…My goodness! Equal opportunity is working you should have nothing to complain about. Of course, when you look at one side of this coin the picture is very encouraging, but there is another side that commands attention.
Figures from Human Rights Watch show that while Blacks comprise 13% of the nation’s population they constitute 30% of those arrested, 49% of those imprisoned and that Black men were incarcerated 9.6 times the rate of White men. Simultaneously there are now more young Black males in prison than college. The typical white family has 14 times as much wealth as the typical black family who generally earns approximately 56 cents for every dollar earned by white families.
This disparity, is it solely the result of a racist institutionalized system? Suppose we go back to the 60s and take another look at all that has transpired from then up to present day. During the 60s civil rights struggle, religious leaders, civil rights leaders, our black newspapers were all there to help fight the fight against oppression and segregation. Now we are faced with an enigma, a new found freedom, and what to do with it. What was once group survival now is evolving into individual survival and to an even greater extent class survival with the middle class being the sole beneficiary of social and economical gain. Abruptly void of leadership a community was left to flounder and fin for itself. Many of the goals of the Civil Rights Movement were essentially goals for easier assimilation for middle class people, and the working class and impoverished people didn’t get too much out of it. In the past, black communities had integrated middle class and lower class working people all in the same area. Now, the middle class was no longer residing in the same area where disadvantaged people lived. So the models and the leadership that was available on a community local level were no longer available. And therefore, the leadership that developed out of the civil rights struggle, which essentially reflected middle class values and middle class concerns, didn’t deal with the problems of the impoverished. The stigma of a leadership vacuum opened up the door for the hip hop movement replenished with lyrics of rap music. Rappers take center stage and become pied pipers for a leaderless generation promoting misogyny, violence, gangsta way of life anything and everything that construed a debased way of living. As a result the hearts and minds of a generation of children were affected in a negative way many of whom who learned to see no value in work ethics, learning and morality. In the mid 80s a rap group called N.W.A. synonym for N***az With Attitude popularized gangsta rap espousing hardcore lyrics. Lyrics that glorified and promoted gunfights, crack trade, denigration of women and blatant usage of the N-word. What actions did the Black community take with this display of irreverence towards their community? Absolutely NONE! Our religious leaders were as quiet as a church mouse and our Black newspapers were as mute as their typewriters were silent. Instead of our civil rights leaders leading us on the path of enlightenment, moral and mental development it was the rappers taking control of the minds of our youth leading them down the pathway of self-debasement. During the mid 90s Michael Jackson attempted to use the words kike and hymie in a song which the Jewish community found to be very offensive. Consequently, Michael removed the words and issued an apology. As wicked as the music industry may be it wasn’t about to degrade their loved ones, anything considered to be detrimental to Jews, regardless of its context was and is unacceptable. As much as the music industry loves money it would not allow disrespect of the power base for any reason. Black America what was your position? Where were the boycotts and the outcries while the rappers were poisoning the minds of your youth and for the most part still are? There is an unwritten law or sentiment within the black community thou shall not speak ill of another Black. Do not air out your dirty laundry in public which makes sense and understandable only IF you are taking care of business otherwise. However, if issues detrimental to the over-all well being of the community are not being addressed then the only other alternative is to make it a public issue not allowing things to perpetually go unabated. Forty-three years removed from 1964 and the state of affairs throughout the Black community is on a life support. Black on black crime, gangs, drugs, high volume of incarcerations, probations, parole, problems in schools such as suspensions, expulsions and poor performances are not just externally caused conditions but internal as well. Internal conditions as related to the Black community. African Americans have very good individual survival instincts but are totally lacking in group survival instincts. Generally, those of you who do make it have no inclination to reach back and help others. You have not been indoctrinated to help one another but have been propagandize to demean and degrade one another with the n-word. A racist definition that’s drenched in ignorance and degradation. You will not fight to help each other but will fight to defend your rights to call one another n**ger. It doesn’t matter if one has a PhD or never made it through elementary school the inducement to use this word reigns supreme. In year 2006 it is estimated that as a community Blacks spent more than $600 billion dollars making other groups of people rich and yet can’t resolve the problems of their own community. Since l965 and onward, you seem to have lost sight of an inalienable fact, there is a price to pay for freedom. You must be willing and prepared to hold yourself accountable for your own actions. You know how to manipulate oppressors and how to survive draconian conditions but freedom, so far, has proven to be somewhat of the Black community’s Waterloo. Complete FREEDOM still eludes you. There is one final Bastille to overcome and then you can at last claim total and complete victory; freedom from a sinister word that psychologically links you to a very deep, dark, ugly and diabolical past, which has an unsuspecting affect on your present day live. It can’t be sanitized, cleansed, inverted or redeemed as a culturally liberating word. It is more than a word, it is a Power—a Power—which virtually has a community of people mesmerized and mentally enslaved…it is the N-word…the Trojan horse of the African American community courtesy of a subjugated past. To despise and be ashamed of your ancestors is self assimilated. To bring honor and recognition to your forefathers of their sacrifices and struggles brings a synergy of freedom that is yet to be manifested. It is an abomination to take a word that was used to dehumanize and justify all acts of atrocities upon ascendants of African Americans and embrace it affectionately and endearingly with tender loving care. The ancestors of African Americans have never been laid to rest in peace. It is time to let go of the very word that kept them gripped in terror and fear. It is time to show them some self-respect, dignity, honor and pride and by doing so we extend the same to ourselves. It is time to break that last link to an ominous, dark and dastardly past…the N-word. Yes, let’s make our forefathers proud of us…as we too should be proud of their bravery, fortitude, stalwartness and courage; then and only then will the synergy of freedom finally manifest itself…and then our ancestors can finally rest in peace. H. Lewis Smith is the author of Bury that Sucka and Founder/CEO of the United Voices for a Common Cause, Inc. http://www.theunitedvoices.org
March 19, 2007, on the Larry King Live show Chris Rocks makes it very clear through his very best Steppin Fetchit imitation that Blacks are to be ridiculed and laughed at and not to be taking seriously. He made it very clear that he has every intention to continue to disrespect the memories of his ancestors by making a mockery of their bravery, stalwartness, courage and fortitude by taking the very word (the n-word) that was used to dehumanize them and embrace it shamelessly and immorally.
Unlike the past, it can no longer be acceptable for Blacks the like of a Chris Rock to carry out the will of racist groups such as the KKK, Skinheads, etc. by casting aspersions upon the African American community by continually implicating the community to a racist definition saturated with carnage, ignorance and degradation.
Defiant use of the incorrigible n-word is now looked up as an abomination to the canonized memories of those who were dehumanized and subjects of genocidal conditions. It must not…and will no longer be taking lightly…the sacrifices, ordeals and struggles of the ascendants of African Americans who were looked upon as being inhuman and thus were labeled the n-word. Chris Rock whose allegiance to a word that serves as a mockery and a slap in the face to ascendants of African American, a word that is synonymous to spitting on the graves of African American ancestors is considered to be a sell out to his ancestors and the African American community and is hereby placed on the United Voices for a Common Cause, Inc. Benedict Arnold Hall of Shame list. To learn more about the Benedict Arnold list please go to http://www.theunitedvoices.org.
On Monday, February 26th, 2007, New York City Councilman Comrie conducted a hearing requesting a Resolution to symbolically ban use of the n-word. The reaction has been fast and furious. Chris Rock’s reaction as reported by the news media was as follows:
"What, is there a fine? Am I going to get a ticket?" Rock mocked when asked about the City Council move. "Do judges say, '10 years, n**ger!"'
"Enough real bad things happen in this city to worry about how I am going to use the word."
This sentiment and attitude offered by Chris Rock is reflective of many other African Americans and non-blacks as well. Which is...the use of the n-word is irrelevant and inconsequential. It is often times said that it is just a word, there are more important things to do why are we wasting all this time on something as trivial as this? On Wednesday, February 27th the New York City Council unanimously passed the Resolution.
Now the sky is suppose to be falling, the First Amendment is being challenged, big brother is taking over. Don’t they (the council) have better things to do with their time? First of all the First Amendment is not being threatened nor challenged this is a SYMBOLIC Resolution and second the NYC council needs to be commended for stepping up and taking a stand. Why is that important?
First and foremost for the past 400 years the desires and wants of African Americans have been insignificant and irrelevant. There is a mind set in this country both black and white that African Americans have a place to stay in and that is the place of being someone’s n***er. And when there is an attempt to leave this place there is an uproar from those whites who are not accustomed to Blacks being independent of thought, and to have the incentive to take control of their fate and destiny and re-define themselves without permission is blasphemous. Then you have those Blacks who are in an uproar over it all because like crabs in a barrel they don’t have the will, intestinal fortitude and desire to re-define themselves, refuse to leave this comfort zone and will come up with all kinds of pseudo-intellectual reasons as to why it’s okay to be defined as a racist definition prevaded in ignorance and degradation.
The n-word is more than just a word...it is an image. You either use your mind power and create your own image or someone else will create an image for you. Almost 400 years ago an image was created for the ascendants of African Americans and was labeled n***er. This is an image that was forced and beaten into the minds of a race people up until as recently as the 1960’s. Blacks have ingenuously since, voluntarily taken over from there. The n-word is the final link in the chain to true mental freedom. It must and will be broken. And this is why, though symbolic in nature , what the New York City council took upon themselves to do is so significant. It’s a step in the right direction to break that final link in the chain. It’s imperative that we distance ourselves from the lingering effects of an unjust system which is what the n-word is connected to.
A People without a voice can not be heard and the fact that the NYC council lent it’s voice to the elimination of the n-word movement has discombobulated a lot of people. The n-word is part of American history, same as the Boston Tea Party, Civil War, etc. and therefore its historical immutable meaning will never disappear, its etched in history. Reality dictates that technically you will never ban or abolish the word itself, but you certainly can refrain from disrespecting one another with it. A word that is a metaphor for all that’s evil. You can not eradicate history and the true meaning of this word will exist forever in infamy.
You may still have questions such as why are our communities in decline -- ravaged by crime, unemployment and despair? How is it that our "spending power" exceeds many nations, but is not directed at solving our problems? How is it that we have failed to realize the visions of Douglass, Garvey, Malcolm, and King?
If so then I have a question for you, are you assuming that the n-word with its psychological and traumatic intent to destroy, maim or cripple the minds of a race of people is in no way connected to any of this? To under-estimate the power of this word (a word that has brought about death and destruction) can prove to be a gross error and it is the fate and destiny of a race of people that’s hanging in the balance. This is a gamble you should not be taking...bury that sucka, stop using that word towards one another.
You must stop ridiculing and laughing at yourselves. You can not and must not allow the opinions of others to dampen your enthusiasm, restrain your joy, and stifle your creativity in the pursuit of re-defining yourself.
Self-respect, pride, dignity and honor are what are being demonstrated by two distinguished African American NFL head coaches Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith. These two coaches truly represent one of the great moments in American history. One black head coach to be coaching in the Super Bowl for the first time would be historical enough, but for both head coaches to be black is truly a monumental moment in American history.
However, this article is about something that transcends the spirit of this chronicle event. Let's compare the demeanor of Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith to the antics of some of our entertainers and actors. Can you possibly imagine either one of these two head coaches disgracing themselves and their race with the public use of the n-word? NO! Can you imagine either one of these fine distinguished gentlemen insisting that it is okay to use the n-word in an affectionate and endearing way? NO!
There is a quote that states "Excellence is a form of habit" the character of both Dungy and Smith manifests this quote most admirably. I wish that I could say the same for a certain Oscar Award winning actor who demonstrates the exact opposite by flushing self-respect, pride, dignity and honor down the commode.
Unlike some of our actors and entertainers Dungy and Smith are the epitome of what it takes to be inspirational, loving, compassionate, strong, prideful, honest, understanding, historically correct, maternal, paternal and caring.
We must be one hundred percent cognizant of the fact that we are responsible for our own community's success and direction. Therefore, we can no longer accept any activity and or behavior that do not reflect well on our community's image, welfare, morale code or our political, economical, physical, social, and spiritual condition of our overall environment. Our communities need to always reflect a sense of pride, safety, beauty, family, order, loyalty, enterprise / commerce and above all the dignity of its inhabitants.
We must work from a base of mutual respect for one another and allow the truth to prevail. We must vow that nothing will separate us from building each other up.
We must teach that we should expect from one another-- honor, self-respect, truthfulness, dignity, compassion, understanding, flexibility, commitment, forgiveness, stability and overall emotional health!
The idea is simply to love, honor and respect one another! In so doing, we will cease from using the infamous "n" word and all other words that add no value to our human existence! It has been said that whatever goes into the heart of a person will certainly come out of that person. Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith are certainly reflective of these ideals and the United Voices for a Common Cause wish to extent to them both hearty congratulations for their tremendous achievements.
H. Lewis Smith
Founder/CEO
United Voices for a Common Cause, Inc.
http://www.theunitedvoices.org
Jamie Foxx the Oscar award winning actor is now flirting with the distinction of having his name added to the Benedict Arnold Hall of Shame.
Foxx says "only black people can use the word n****r." The Oscar-winning actor insists "he needs to use the word but believes white people shouldn't be allowed to."
Jamie should fall down on his knees and humbly apologize to his canonized ascendants who were subjected to systematic atrocities and killings all in the name of the n-word and for making a mockery of their afflictions. And to those brave and courageous freedom fighters of the 60s civil rights movement who suffered through brutal acts of oppression all in the name of the n-word making it possible for Mr. Foxx to be in a position to win an Oscar that he now seems to have taken for granted.
Jamie Foxx the Oscar award winning actor is now flirting with the distinction of having his name added to the Benedict Arnold Hall of Shame list...hopefully he stops knocking on that door and walks away from it. Should he continue to knock it will be answered.
Though the ascendant's voices of African Americans from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries have been silent...that is no longer going to be the case, those of us who are now awake will be speaking on their behalf. For far too long their ordeals have been overlooked and ignored...that should not be. What happened...happened and there should be no shame in that. Their bravery, courage and ability to survive such a holocaust should not be denied...but acknowledged. And one of the ways for the contemporary African American to do this is to re-define themselves by no longer identifying with such a grotesque, diabolical and demonic word as the n-word.
