A Black Word That Gives No Empowerment

It the early frost of morning, a horse-drawn carriage traveled through the streets of Detroit pulling a pine casket adorned by a black wreath. Inside the casket: the "N-word."

Hart Plaza teemed with thousands of people for the symbolic funeral of the derogatory word. The burial was part of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's (NAACP) bid to abolish the word as negative and demeaning to society.

The national convention was attended by Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who joined Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick for this event.

"Good riddance to this vestige of slavery and racism, and say hello to a new country that invests in all its people," Granholm said.

For more than a century, the n-word remained a symbol of racism. It has been used, in recent years, as a word of empowerment by blacks when referring to other blacks, especially in comedy routines and rap and hip-hop music.

In a 1999 interview, the rapper Mos Def said that blacks were taking "a word that has been historically used by whites to degrade and oppress us, a word that has so many negative connotations, and turning it into something beautiful, something we can call our own."

The use of the word has increased over time. As the idea of its empowerment grew, the word was changed from "nigger" to "nigga". A representation, some would say, of taking control of the derogator word that referenced slavery and racism and turning it into a word meaning brotherhood and fraternity.

Following a public tirade, last year, by Seinfeld actor Michael Richards, the public discussion on the word and its usage has intensified. The debate heated again after talk show host Don Imus described the mostly black Rutgers University women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos."

Most recently, a standup routine by the popular Eddie Griffin was cut short as he was asked to leave the building during his show. Spokespersons reported that the repeated use of the n-word during his routine was unacceptable.

As black leaders challenge the entertainment industry and the American public to stop using the N-word and other racial slurs, the question becomes a matter of what is acceptable to the public. Many sit on both sides of the fence. An argument for black usage and empowerment prevails despite the previous negative connotation.

The meaning varies, depending on who is using it and the context -- generally, "nigger" has negative connotations, while "nigga" or "niggah" can connote friendship or comradeship. Whatever the word used, it historically has been the one single word to incite racial riots within this country.

Despite attempts to change the word, to own it, and make it represent black empowerment and resolution to history, it is unacceptable to African Americans, as a group, for any other racial group to use that word, in any form.

"Nonblacks should view the word as blacks view it -- it's a dangerous word, "said Harvard University law Professor Randall Kennedy, who has written a book about the sociology of the term. " One should handle it with care."

If this is the case, then how can this word ever be empowering to the black people? A word that should be considered dangerous, and inflammatory, can never truly mean a beautiful thing in the sense of society. As long as this word is intended for use by only a portion of society, then that society will never be whole. The debate rages on as mock funerals are performed. As war rages across the seas and domestic problems increase, one has to wonder why this six-letter word has gained such national attention. With so many things needing attention, it could be quite possible that this "little" issue would go a long way in solving some major ones.