POWER OF THE WORD NIGGA

WAS SAID WITHOUT THINKING. PAINTING AN ENTIRE RACE WITH A SINGLE WORD. BUT IT WASN’T ALWAYS A SLUR. ORIGINALLY THE LATIN NIGER JUST MENT BLACK. BUT AT THE DAWN OF AMERICA NIGER BECAME NEGAR TO DESCRIBE SOME OF THE FIRST SHIPMENTS OF AFRICAN SLAVES. AND WITH SLAVERY THE WORD WAS CONTORTED TO ITS CURRENT, DARK, DEGRADING HATEFUL INSULT FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS. IT OVER TIME IT HAS APPEARED IN EVERYTHING FROM UGLY PROPOGANDA, TO CARTOONS, TO NURSERY RHYMES. ENNI MINNI MYNI MO DID NOT ALWAYS END WITH CATCH A TIGER BY THE TOE. 

IT was tossed about casually in movies WELL INTO THE 20TH CENTURY. PART OF A WAY OF LIFE BUT SOMETIMES TO RAISE CONCIOUNESS. DURING THE CIVIL RIGHTS AREA THE STIGMA CAME TO A HEAD. IN THE 1970S EMERGED A WILLINGNESS TO EXPLORE THE IMPACT OF THE WORD AND EVEN STARIZE IT. 

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