The N word burial...

During the study of a class called "Engaged Ethics" at Vassar college, dealing with issues of race and prejudice, one of my fellow classmates decided that he needed to bury the N word. He felt as though this belittled blacks and is being use as slang and taken very lightly, neglecting that fact that it was used against his very own people in times gone by. He did not deny the fact that he himslef, having grown up in the Bronx, used the word as a term of endearment - this burial was a symbol that he understands the weight this word holds and its original intention.

Initially, I had found this ceremony to be the most ridicualous thing, burying a WORD?? However, I did attend the ceremony to support him, though the word had never bothered me personally. Where I am from if someone said you're behaving like an "ole n***a" it simply meant you were acting inappropriately. I did know that it was disrespectful, and I never felt comfortable using it.

I called my mother and had told her about it and she said "YES everyone is doing it"...to my surprise.

I then found this article on the NAACP website:


The "N" Word is Laid to Rest by the NAACP
July 9, 2007

Thousands gathered in Detroit, Michigan to participate in the NAACP’s funeral and burial for the “N” word. A horse drawn carriage carried a wooden coffin that adorned black roses and a ribbon with the word “nigga” displayed. NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, hip-hop legend Curtis Blow and R & B legend Eddie Levert led the procession today from COBO Hall to Hart (Freedom) Plaza. The burial was a part of the 9th Annual Convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Making sure that the crowd understood the significance of this event, Kilpatrick stated that we should take the word out of our spirit. “Good riddance. Die, N-word,” said Kilpatrick. We don’t want to see you around here no more.”

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm told the crowd that she was proud the funeral was in her state. “We can plant the seed to a new word, the “A” word,” said Granholm. “All – all our people. We’re all in this together.” She encouraged attendees to also bury other racial injustices, such as predatory lending, disparate healthcare and the fight to end affirmative action.