The n-word in New York

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

Yeah, I just read the thing.
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How you have legislation stating you're banning the "N' word? What is that?  
Nigger? Nigga? Negro? New York?
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The first documented use was 1786? Really?
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"In 2003, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People  
(NAACP) successfully influenced Merriam-Webster lexicographers to change the  
dictionary definition of the “N” word in the dictionary to no longer mean  
African Americans"?
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_http://webdocs.nyccouncil.info/textfiles/Res%200693-2007.htm?CFID=1310861&CFT
OKEN=70391409_ 
(http://webdocs.nyccouncil.info/textfiles/Res%200693-2007.htm?CFID=1310861&CFTOKEN=70391409) 

Proposed Res. No.  693-A 
..Title 
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 City.  
..Body 
By Council Members  Comrie, Dickens, Fidler, Gonzalez, Jackson, Martinez, 
McMahon, Nelson, Oddo,  Reyna, Sears, Vann, Weprin, White Jr., Avella, Brewer, 
Felder, Gennaro, Gentile,  James, Koppell, Liu, Mark-Viverito, Mealy, Mendez, 
Monserrate, Palma, Sanders  Jr., Vacca, Seabrook, Gallagher and The Public 
Advocate (Ms. Gotbaum) 
Whereas, The etymology of the “N” word is  often traced to the Latin “niger”
 or the French word “negrè,” both meaning  black; when used as a noun, the “N
” word is used in a derogatory fashion to mean  a black person; and 
Whereas, The first documented written use  of the word was in 1786, when the “
N” word was a term slave masters used to  label their African slaves; thus, 
the word has its origins in the contempt that  slave masters had for their 
African slaves, and no matter how it is spelled, the  word carries throughout the 
centuries these connotations of hate;  and 
Whereas,  The “N” word was used to refer to slaves throughout the 1700's and 
 1800's, and by the early 1900's, the word "Black" began to appear in print  
in reference to African Americans, a term generally rejected by the African  
American community because of its negative connotations; and   
Whereas,  When in 1906 civil rights leader Booker T. Washington endorsed the 
term  "Negro,” the “N” word, once a common label used for African American  
people, was officially recognized as a derogatory racial epithet;  and 
Whereas, The  “N” word connotes a lazy person with no self respect or regard 
for family, a  person who is ignorant, stupid, slow moving, does not speak 
proper English and  has childlike qualities, and such definition was cemented in 
American culture by  early 1900’s caricatures of Black people, such as the 
film “Birth Of A Nation;”  and 
Whereas, The  age of the Harlem Renaissance challenged this idea, primarily 
due to the  leadership of Renaissance scholar Alain Locke, who encouraged 
African American  artists, writers, poets and musicians to fully express their 
African pride by  aligning with and capitalizing upon their rich West African 
history; and 
Whereas, The  late 1960’s produced a surge of racial pride, when the term 
"Black" was taken on  by the African American community as positive and 
affirming; while the Black  Power Movement of this era proclaimed "Black is Beautiful" 
and entertainer James  Brown declared “I’m Black and I’m Proud,” movement 
participants called each  other "Brother” and “Sister” and denounced the use of 
the “N” word; and 
Whereas, While  some African Americans started using the “N” word to refer 
to themselves in the  1970's cultural era known as Black Exploitation, the term 
was also adopted  during the beginning of 1990’s cultural era known as Hip 
Hop; Hip Hop culture  removed the “er” from the end of the word and added the 
letter “a,” creating the  term "Nigga," although the term remained pejorative 
in the Black community and,  depending on social circles, at some times 
denoted class differences; and 
Whereas,  Today’s African American community remains divided in its use of 
the “N” word:  some neo-revisionists attempt to redefine and lay claim to the 
word while others  refuse to use the word in their vocabulary at all; and 
Whereas, In  2003, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 
People (NAACP)  successfully influenced Merriam-Webster lexicographers to change 
the dictionary  definition of the “N” word in the dictionary to no longer 
mean African  Americans; at the same time, the term “‘N’ word” began being 
used in popular  culture and in media reports in effort to avoid publicly using 
the controversial  and degrading word’s full spelling or pronunciation; and 
Whereas,  Numerous high-profile incidents involving use of the “N” word have 
elicited  condemnation from the larger society, in response to which a small 
group of New  York City residents founded the organization “Abolish The ‘N’ 
Word Project Inc.”  and began a public relations campaign to abolish the use of 
the word by all  people through the establishment of a website, educational 
materials and  community events; and 
Whereas, the  Council encourages the citizens of the City of New York to 
cease using the “N”  word and to encourage all others whom they may encounter in 
their daily routine  to cease from using the word as well; now therefore, be 
it  
Resolved, That  the Council of the City of New York declares a symbolic 
moratorium on the use of  the “N” word in New York City.
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