By Quibian Salazar-Moreno

      The New York City Council’s Committee on Civil Rights met on Monday to pass a resolution banning the word ‘nigga’ or ‘nigger’ and variations of the word in New York. Of course, the banning is only symbolic, in that you won’t be fined or get in trouble for using but the council hopes that it will spark discussion on the history of the word.

"On any given day you can traverse this city and encounter young people of all races casually using the word in public with no regard or knowledge of the terrible history behind it,” City Council member Leroy Comrie told New York’s NY1 News.

"NBA stars and rappers have been the only roll models for far too long,” Kovon Flowers of advocacy group Abolish the N Word added. “The resolution will be a start for parents teachers and families to take their rightful place as roll models in their children’s lives.”

      Even though there’s no punishment for using the word, Comrie went even farther asking the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences not to nominate artists who use the word in their music for Grammys. Similar resolutions are happening in other cities around the country.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 1st, 2007 at 7:12 am and is filed under News.