"The n-word has never been a friend, always an
enemy" to blacks, according to a statement
Attorney Roy Miller is expected to
deliver at 10 a.m. to the city’s Committee on Civil Rights.
In the one-page statement, provided in advance to Redding News
Review, he implores the council to consider the word's impact on black children.
"In 1994, I was successful in having the n-word deleted from
Funk & Wagnall's dictionary," he opines. "My effort was on behalf of children,
the innocent ones, that get hit by the rocks of hate thrown into crowds by
adults. Adults debate n-word usage from an adult perspective. It is
innocent black children whose feelings get hurt the most."
The following is his full statement:
"I would like to first thank God for allowing me to play a
part in making a difference. I would also like to thank this distinguished
New York City Council and Council member, Leroy Comrie, for this invitation
to address this great council.
"In 1994, I was successful in having the n-word deleted from
Funk & Wagnall's dictionary. My effort was on behalf of children, the
innocent ones, that get hit by the rocks of hate thrown into crowds by
adults. Adults debate n-word usage from an adult perspective. It is
innocent black children whose feelings get hurt the most. They look up the
word, not adults. They look in dictionaries and see a definition of
description that points back at them. An innocent black child could never
be an n-word. At its worse, the n-word is the ultimate form of disrespect
against Blacks. It is simply profanity. Most cuss words have many
pronunciations and spellings. No matter how you pronounce the n-word or
spell it, we still know what you mean.
"The n-word has never been a medicine. It has always been a
poison. A poisonous snake, begging to be petted and taken lightly. No, the
n-word has never been a friend, always an enemy. It could never be a term
of endearment. Its like taking a picture of a lynched slave lady and trying
to convince people that they can get joy from watching the picture and even
laugh at the slave. Such a picture could never be endearing and neither can
the n-word ever be a term of endearment. Perhaps God considers, After being
exposed to 400 years of slavery and around 100 years of segregation, what
did we learn? Why do we fight so hard to give away the respect that we
never had to earn?
"Some musicians take their 20 pieces of silver and
disrespectfully shout out the n-word. The n-word is the very word that
accompanied so much hate. The n-word is a friend of hate, a friend of
slavery, a friend of segregation and a friend of discrimination. It
accompanied death in all its low down deeds during slavery and segregation.
As it has worn out welcome by other races, some blacks get pleasure from
picking up that snake and playing with it.
"When I hear the n-word, I see a beautiful black baby that
grew old in life and died and was called the n-word life long. When I hear
the n-word, I see an aging black woman giving birth to the master's child
and both mother and child being called n-words. I see a Black father
lynched for trying to protect his little girl from being raped and both
being called n-words.
"Why do we fight for the right to call our innocent babies
n-words? Why do we fight for the right to have others refer to our children
as n-words? Our babies are children of God. Would not such reference to the
child, also refer to the father? Do we not owe anything to our ancestors
that endured so much pain and lost so many lives, so that we could live with
dignity and with respect. I guess....if doesn't reach the heart, it really
doesn't matter.
"Around the world in every country, in every society and in every group, two
things have always been certain. They are, those that demand respect are
always on top and those that accept disrespect are always on the bottom. At
its worse, the n-word is the ultimate term of disrespect against blacks.
"Lets not seal the fate of a people, especially our innocent Black children,
by conditioning them to accept disrespect. I ask that you vote to pass
this resolution calling on the Council of the City of New York to declare a
symbolic moratorium on the use of the "n" word in New York. Show to the
world that New York will not tolerate disrespect. Thank you."
(Miller provides legal services to Redding
Communications, Inc., (RCI), the parent company of Redding News Review).
