THE N-WORD DEBATE: ALL SMOKE NO FIRE

I got back to my office late on a Thursday afternoon, in a hurry. I was rushing to get downtown by 6:00 for the “Freedom Riders” traveling exhibition; opening that night at the Detroit Public Library, but wasn’t sure I could make it. A looming production deadline for my new Empowerment video series, and several after class student meetings at the school where I teach, were conspiring to rob me of the time I’d planned to devote to the “Freedom Riders”.

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Just as I was reaching the decision not to attend my phone buzzed.  Answering, I immediately recognized the voice of the well regarded TV News Anchor and Host of a local show, where guests with different opinions try to verbally rip each other’s point of view to shreds. It’s a popular program with all the power packed elements: polarizing topics, semi-celebrities, put-downs, lots of noise and conflict.

“Jeff”, said the voice, “I want you to appear on my show tonight we’re taping at 10:00. We want to talk about Governor Rick Perry’s Texas camp, you know its called N----R-Head. We want to know who can use the N-word and who can’t and why, according to Sherri Shepherd, it’s OK for Whoopi Goldberg to use it but not Barbara Walters. It’s going to be a hot show,” the erudite journalist promised. “Can you make it?”

 “Who’s Sherri Shepherd” I countered, buying some time till my brain could comprehend his request. “You can check her out on You Tube. Google ‘The View’, you can see the whole thing, can you make it” my persuasive caller repeated.

I thought about my options for the evening. I could go be inspired by the stories of heroic struggles to banish a second-class status and mentality. I could skip the Exhibit to work on my video project, focused on community uplift through the application of the Empowerment Principles; or I could spend two hours to tape a ten-minute segment on the N-word.

Not enough time to talk about why the word is such a lightning rod for divisiveness. No time to discuss Willie Lynch or the Black Codes or Jim Crow or Restricted Covenants or the hundred year fight to end apartheid in the U.S.

I could go and say that NOBODY has the right to EVER use that word, but without the time to debate our sordid ethnic history I realized nothing would be heard but the shouting.

“Not this time” I replied to the show host, “but keep me in mind down the road.”