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January 11, 2007
Testimonial of an Ascended Black Woman
I wrote this piece in response to an article entitled "The Manifesto of Ascendancy for the Modern American Nigger" written by John Ridley in the December 2006, Volume 146, issue 6 edition of Esquire Magazine.
The other day as I was leaving my office for my daily lunch-time walk and I overheard the white man ahead of me audaciously proclaim; “Everything’s fine in the day until, at like, 12:30 in the morning, there’s a bunch o’ niggers smokin’ weed on your stoop.”
Now, we all know that when someone white uses the word nigger, as a Black person, you are supposed to take offense. I felt something, but it wasn’t offended. I was angry, but not at the guy who was speaking. Instead, I felt my blood boil when I thought about my own people. The “niggers” he was referring to.
I don’t know where he was coming from, or what sparked that remark but it surprised me that he didn’t seem to care that he was surrounded by Black people who should have been offended. In fact, he even held the door open for me. It started me thinking. Apparently he disassociated the “niggers” smoking weed on the stoop from the professional Black folk surrounding him.
As I continued my walk, I thought about the term nigger and I thought about how I would address this issue in my next diatribe. Quite frankly, the whole nigger/nigga argument is redundant. It has fallen on deaf ears. Everyone knows the history and legacy of this word and those of us who continue to use it obviously don’t give a damn about themselves or their history. I used to be one of those people who would shoot dirty looks to Blacks on the subway or in the street to anyone who used the term in my presence. I once asked a guy (who wasn’t even Black) who was talking to his friend who was-to please stop using that term in my presence. He apologized and refrained. I got lucky that day. Since then, anyone I asked not to say it would simply ignore me, or find some other derogatory name to call me. So, I gave up my lonely crusade. I would still shoot dirty looks to semi-literate thugs who share my skin tone and disrespect my race and my history, but I was to suffer in silence turning my rage inward and against those “niggers” resenting them, somehow feeling responsible for their ignorance, until I read an article in Esquire magazine entitled, “The Manifesto of Ascendancy for the Modern American Nigger,” by John Ridley.
He rightfully claims that there have been successes for Black people, since Jim Crow and Civil Rights but there are of course too many of us in jail, embracing the thug life- looking to drug dealers or rappers for social, economic and political leadership rather than taking advantage of the opportunities our true leaders sacrificed their lives for. He asks the question: if we as a race could win the centuries-long war against institutionalized racism then why can’t we secure the advantage after decades of freedom?*
Simply put, it’s the niggers that are holding us back! He then says he has no qualms about the word, and that it is in the English lexicon, and nothing will remove it from reality, even if you replace the last few letters with an a. Then he says it’s time for us “ascended” blacks to wish niggers good luck. Whites don’t feel responsible for the ills of their entire race, so why in the hell should ascended Black folks-those of us who embrace the successes and gains we have accomplished in our turbulent history-worry about niggers smoking weed on a stoop or those who cry racism instead of working towards overcoming it? He rightfully states that we should praise those of us who have transcended racism to achieve high levels of success: people like Condi Rice (regardless of what you may think of her politics, the woman is brilliant-and has never shied away from her responsibilities as a leader despite the numerous death threats she has received from white racists) Colin Powell, Ron Christie, Charlie Rangel, Barack Obama and a host of Black leaders who have ascended to highly visible and prominent positions in the American government and are fighting the good fight so that niggers won’t have to cry racism if they get locked up or shut out. Sadly, niggers can name their favorite rapper (who ain’t doing a thing for their people except exploiting them) quicker than they can name a Senator from their own state.
Niggers should think about this-is there any other race that allows themselves to be disrespected, dehumanized, or degraded the way Black folk do? Niggers allow themselves to be marketed, packaged and sold to the highest bidder much like the naked slave on the auction block.
You will never hear another race or ethnic group refer to or greet one another by a disparaging ethnic slur in public. Other marginalized groups respect their contributions to history and never take for granted the horrors or atrocities they have faced in the past. They will never let others disrespect them because they hold their culture and their race in high regard. Imagine what someone ignorant about Black culture might think when they happen to turn to BET for a taste of Black culture.
I thought about the man who made the remark about the niggers smoking weed on his stoop again. I wondered what would make him say such a thing aloud without concern for who it may offend. Could it be that he recognized ascended Black folk? I know I’m an idealist, but I’d like to think so. I suppose I’ll never know, but thanks to Jim Ridley, I don’t care.
Posted by renee at 1:21 PM | Comments (1)