Just Say NO to the N-word

I told myself I was going to steer clear of this fray in this forum, but oh well.

Hubby-Honey and I made the decision to give up watching television in our home for 2006. So this year (I don't know if I'd consider it cheating or not, but I've allowed it), he goes to ESPN.com for online video footage of the scores and highlights to get his sports fix.

This evening, as he was checking out who rose and fell today in the land of pigskin, I was looking over his shoulder when my eye was drawn to a photo of Michael Richards. I had to know what he was doing on ESPN's site, so we clicked on the image to find out.

Turns out an ESPN senior writer and radio show host, LZ Granderson, wrote a piece entitled, A word with consequences, that makes one say, "Hmmmm..."

Given the responses received through his surveying a random sample of non-Black folks, and the results of his own soul searching, my personal stance was upheld that EVERYONE should be uncomfortable with hearing, much less using the n-word. It's my hope that the message gets trumpeted and heeded throughout LZ's spheres of influence.

For declaring that, "this holiday season I've decided to give myself the gift of dignity by cutting the n-word out of my vocab," LZ Granderson, you've just been added to The Thanks Ranks.