N means 'no'
Comic silenced for using N-word
Black comic Eddie Griffin has been booted off stage for peppering his set with ‘the N-word’.Organisers cut his microphone about ten minutes into his set in Miami, then persuaded him to leave the stage.
The gig had been set up by the magazine Black Enterprise.
Publisher Earl Graves told the crowd: ‘We will not allow our culture to go backwards. Black Enterprise stands for decency, black culture and dignity.’
He added that Griffin, who has starred in the movies Undercover Brother and Date Movie, would be paid his full fee but would not be allowed to finish his stand-up act.
The publisher’s words reportedly won a standing ovation from the 1,000-strong crowd.
Campaigner Al Sharpton, who is spearheading a movement to persuade black comedy acts and hip-hop artists to stop using the word, welcomed the decision to remove Griffin from the stage.
In a statement, he ‘expressed gratitude that the nation's pre-eminent magazine for African-Americans stands behind the efforts of National Action Network in getting rid of the N-word’.
Published: 7 Sep 2007
