There is a growing trend regarding this country’s history. It is becoming the norm to tell history the way it did NOT happen! It is also becoming the norm to take accurate literature and change/replace offensive words. Thereby changing history.
As an African American Woman who was born and reared in Mississippi,
you know where cotton was king and old Jim Crow ruled from beneath white
sheets. Where the word “nigger” was as common as the sun rising and
setting.
My husband and I are children of the 60’s. Just four years separate us
in age. Yet on his birth certificate he is considered a “Negro” and I am
considered “Colored” all the while still being addressed as “nigger”.
I say this to emphasize the point that I know all to well what being
called a nigger means and what it feels like.
With this being said I am very much offended that history is being made
up. It is offensive to me that there are those who feel the need to be
comforted by pretending that this country’s history is less than
stellar. It is offensive to me that there are educators/guides and their
respective establishments who feel the need to pacify their visitors. Or
that our educational system feel the need to censor well documented
accurate literature.
As a storyteller/performer and educator, I do not feel the need to leave
“nigger” or “ofay” out of my performances. If history is to be known, it
is to be told as it really happened regardless of who will be offended.
I do not say this to shock or offend but as a passionate lover of
history (good, bad or indifferent). I feel history must be told
correctly or we will never learn from it. If you are offended by what
you hear or read, ask “Why does this offend me?”
It is important to not only have discussions about things that make us uncomfortable but to learn from them as well!
