The Omaha guide., 1945-09-15
Plain Talk.
ON WHAT THEY CALL US AND WHAT
WE WANT TO BE CALLED:
(BY DAN GARDNER)

merlcan is the one involving identity and the prop
er racial designation. There are some who want to
be known as Negroes. And there are others who
say they are cOlOred. Some prefer the designation,
AfrO-Amer1can, and still others want to be known
as Race Men and Women. Most southern whites
know what they want to call us and arbitrarily call
all Of us ~"nigger''. They see no reason why it
should be something else and take pride in the en-
plOyment of the term, prOnouncing it, in some cases
with actual affection. The adept manner in which
the southern white uses the appellatiOn is also
shared with most dominant white racial stocks, in
Guiding the British, German, Irish, italian and the
Dutch. All seem to relish the usage Of the term,
''nigger.''
"Nigger" is a nasty word. It is the root of inter
racial friction because Of the things it miles. The
white mans Interpretation runs the gamut in his
use OF the abhOred designation. Sometimes he
wants Negroes to feel the full impact Of what he
means and uses the word in such a manner as to
convey the idea that the object is low, dirty, degrad-
ed, evil, etc. Sometimes he wants il known that
when he says '~'nigger'' he means his "dear old nam
my" or cold Uncle Tom who bowed to death wait
ing on his father and mother back home on the old
plantation. Foreigners such as the British, Ger
man and Dutch call the brown and dark racial
stocks ''nlgger' cOntemptuOusly and with the idea
OF conveying racial supremacy, as does, incidental
~, the American white man. Singled out partic-
ularly for Identification with "nigoer'' are all Afri-
can stocks Of whatever shade recognizable.
The word %"nigger'' is also one which Negroes use
increasingly among themselves. Highly educated
Negroes OF culture, position and money find the eX-
resSlOn commonplace in polite conversation and
seem to get the satisfaction out of using it among
themselves or in conversation with Negroes Of a
lower level as a farmer gets out of a chew of Browns
Mule or old Aunt Hannah got out Of good lp-full Of
CARROTS snuff. Negro school kids from the time
they learn to talk pick up the word "~nigger' and
make it a permanent part Of their vocabularies. In
fact, '%nigger" has been put uncOnsciOusly into our
thlnkInU and while most NEGROES who Use the term
do not mean to convey the implications put into it
by the white man, nevertheless, niger is part
and arcel of our racial vocabulary, whether we like
it or not.
Although we use the word so extensively, we,
individually an collectively will fight at the drop Of
a hat if we are called '~'nigger'' by a white man, or
for that matter, by a mulattO Negro fair enough to
pass (f he uses it in the manner Of the southern
white). Unwittingly the white man, in establish
ing the word "nigger" as an international standard
of racial Identity for a sO-called inferior group, has
created a situation in which careers in combating
the word have been launched. Yes, there are hun
dreds of Negroes, who whether they realize it or not
have dedicated their life work to Graduating the
word "~nigger'' from tn vocabularies Of the nation.
Many of our top race rights organizations are in
reality founded on continual campaigning against
the causes of the term, "%nigger', and its use by
white people. We have had and still have noted
? orators, social workers, ministers and others who
are on the firing line, battling daily against the use
of the word '~'nigger'', yet, in private or among
themselves, one can hear the term freely used. All
this bring up the question: what actual harm does
the word do? Does it black the eye, kick the pants,
shoot, burn, MAIN, or blind its objective? Are we
reduced in stature or changed hysically when called
such a name by a white man and remain as we are
when a Negro calls us the same thing? There's a
lot of head-scratching that can be done about this
matter. If we solve this problem: what shall we be
called, it seems that the way will be cleared for the
greatest advancement era in our history.
It would appear that there has been such wasted
time spent on figuring out what we are, why and
what we want to be called. If half that time were
devOed to being practical, in getting things, saving
money, developing poise, and racial cohesiveness,
our battle would have more prospect OF being won
quickly. In other words, the time we spend fight
ing against a word could be used constructively for
our advancement. They called the Jew everything
throughout the history of the world, yet he continu-
ed to advance until today he enjoys international
power and prestige and thus can leisurely take up
the squabble about being called "kike'' or ''sheeny"
During the days of his pilgrimage from Egypt Of
bondate and oppression, however, he discarded
things that overburdened his advance and among
them were the useless fights that expend necessary
r energy that could 90 into something else.