Yesterdays Negro - Today’s Nigga

Yesterdays Negro - Today’s Nigga

The African American culture has survived many long years of segregated hate and cultural assumptions. From being tied down to ships shackled as slaves to becoming free as individuals still being tortured, taunted, brutally beat and killed. But there was a time where the Negroes ruled this world. In 1350 B.C. there was a Negro by the name Tut Ank Amen who ruled Egypt during the time white men were savages and barbarians living in caves. In this era of time Negroes were teachers and professors in Alexandria. Due to the positions held by some African Americans, Negroes meant royalty, respect and educators. Negro’s founded world civilization but their credit was robbed by the Greeks and Romans 3,000 years ago which struck the first major downfall of “yesterday’s Negro.”

The meaning of the word Negro gradually change over a period of time. It was first known as meaning great respect as well as royalty and over time the name was degraded to slave/servant. During this time the word “nigger” was brought about and it was considered disrespectful to the Negro culture. Enslavement of particular blacks were in affect and their masters had complete control of their every move. Their masters had the privilege of naming them as well as giving them direct orders. Some salves were given names by their masters and

yet one fact remained the same, they all were classified as “Nigger.” White masters did not call blacks Negroes because they felt that it gave them too much respect. They called them “Nigger” because whites looked at blacks as nothing more than their servants. Whites felt that calling

blacks Negro showed them more respect than what they thought they deserved. If Negro meant respect and honor the whites did not want to show blacks that they were worth being respected.

In the past blacks were disrespected by being called anything but the name their parents had given them, Nigger was popular during the time of enslavement. It offended the slaves but it did not cause great sorrow because they had been called worst names before. It came to pass that the Negro race were free once again. The Negro race became well educated and had rights that allowed them to have an opinion in decision making. Even though African Americans were free, they were still being disrespected during their everyday walk of life. It is indeed not a walk of shame because many African Americans who went through the experience of being called a nigger are now educators. They were now able to simplify the things that were made simple to them while being slave and a survivor. They taught people that it does not matter what someone called you, only what they answer to. If they were ask a question about their past they could answer the question with no problems. If they did not know much about their past they knew that being called a Nigger was the wrong thing to call someone who was a black male or woman. Nigger meant black monkey to them and they felt that no one deserved