by Tim Lockette
tlockette@annistonstar.com
Sep 22, 2010
There is one word Eula Stevens has heard enough. A word she never
cares to hear again, no matter who is saying it, no matter why.
And it starts with the letter N.
"I don't even like for my own color to say it," said Stevens, an
Anniston resident who is black. "That's a word that comes from
slavery, and as far as I'm concerned, you can put it away forever."
Stevens' take on the n-word is a common one here in Anniston, a city
where Freedom Riders were attacked in the 1960s, and where political
divisions still often run along racial lines.
So it's no surprise that residents took note when Councilman John
Spain uttered the racial epithet during a meeting of the Anniston
City Council Monday. Though Spain was using the word as an example of
things a police officer should never say, his use of the n-word a
lightning-rod term in most Southern communities was a surprising
moment even for one of Anniston's contentious council meetings.
The word emerged during Monday's meeting of the council's inquiry
into alleged police corruption. Spain was asking police officer Roy
Bennett about a Facebook post that labeled Councilman Ben Little
"moron of the year." Spain compared the statement to a police officer
protesting outside a police station.
"You would not be allowed to get out here in front of this police
station and carry a sign that says 'I hate niggers,'" said Spain, who is white.
Bennett's lawyer pointed out that "moron" is not the same as a racial
epithet. And City Councilman Ben Little, who is black, expressed
support for Spain, saying "don't go around thinking that this is
going to cause an uproar, because it's not."
And it didn't cause an uproar. But when The Star asked local
residents like Stevens for their opinions on the matter, people made
it clear that regardless of Spain's intention, he could have chosen
his words better.
"I don't get it," said Anniston resident Cinda Hunter, who was
shopping on Noble Street Tuesday. "To be a politician and … why would
you even say that?"
Hunter, who is black, said it's a shame that the issue of the n-word
and when and where it's appropriate to use it even has to be
discussed at this point.
"You shouldn't even have to ask," she said.
Some in the white community have long complained that there's a
double standard in the use of the word, making it acceptable for
African-Americans to use among themselves, but not acceptable for
white people. And some whites even claim the word has nothing to do with race.
"It's about the way people act, not what color they are," said a
local resident who would give his name only as "Adam." The word is
offensive "only to the people it applies to," he claimed.
But among the randomly selected people interviewed by The Star, most
agreed that everyone, black or white, should leave off using the word.
"If he (Spain) was doing it to show what you shouldn't say, I guess
that's different," said Alexandria resident Jennifer Clifton, who was
shopping in Anniston Wednesday. "But basically that's just something
that you don't say. It isn't right, no matter who you are."
Experts on racial reconciliation say that no matter the intent, using
the n-word rarely comes out well.
"I don't know what the rules are," said Susan Glisson, of the
Mississippi-based William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation.
"But I know that in our work, we generally use 'n-word' rather than
quoting the word."
Glisson, who is white, works with communities to foster dialogue
about the South's racial history with an eye toward healing the
wounds between the black and white communities.
The n-word is definitely part of the South's history, but Glisson
said use of the actual epithet isn't helpful in her work, because it
tends to "shut down the conversation."
"In the event that it is used in some sort of context that may seem
appropriate, it usually winds up being quoted outside of that
context," she said.
Atlanta-based mediator David Hooker, who works with the William
Winter Institute, said that even though the n-word sparks deep
feelings, it doesn't have to be a conversation-ender.
"I see it as an invitation," he said. "When people use it, they're
informing you about some sort of pain, or some sort of
misinformation, that really should be talked about."
Hooker recalled a recent encounter he had in a restaurant in Oxford,
Miss. Hooker, who is black, went to the restaurant's bar to order
some food, when an older white man commented on his presence and used
the n-word.
Hooker struck up a conversation, which lasted for 45 minutes, and
bought the man a drink. He said he isn't sure the talk changed the
man's mind, but he said it probably had a more positive impact than
if the pair hadn't talked at all.
Hooker didn't compare Spain's comment to the one made by the man in
Mississippi. But he noted that the word's impact depends on the speaker.
"If a black city councilman had given the same example, people would
probably have reacted in a different way," he said.
Hooker said using the n-word in normal conversation is like using a
.357 when you're accustomed to firing a .22. You have to know that
you're dealing with something powerful, he said, or you'll do more
damage than good.
"I kind of like people who are willing to step out beyond what is
safe," he said. "But you have to be aware of what you're doing."
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Contact assistant metro editor Tim Lockette at 256-235-3560.
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