Sunday, July 08, 2007

Essay 4152


From nationwide news sources…

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NAACP burial of N-word continues ‘a long fight’ against slur

BY COREY WILLIAMS

DETROIT -- Julian Bond wants people to understand that when the NAACP symbolically buries the N-word on Monday, the effort will be led by the younger members of the venerable civil rights organization.

“Seven young people are on our board of directors, and they are spearheading this initiative,” said Bond, the group’s chairman. “This is the continuation of a long fight against the denigration of African Americans in popular culture. If it’s someone black or someone white, it’s equally wrong.”

The N-word burial highlights the NAACP’s 98th annual convention, which kicks off Saturday and runs through Thursday.

The civil rights group announced the N-word burial in April. Delegates and supporters plan to march about a quarter-mile from the convention center to a downtown plaza where a eulogy will be given.

Bond, who will address the convention Sunday, said NAACP leaders have been in talks with entertainers, especially rappers, about removing racial and gender-specific slurs from their music.

More than 8,000 are expected to attend the convention.

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