[Magdalen] The Deen controversy

[Louise Laughton]

The only time one of my grandmothers ever punished me was the one time in my life I said "the N word." We lived at that time in the North Carolina Piedmont, this grandmother in a small town down near the border with South Carolina. We were visiting her, and I, four old at the time, went out side to play with children in her neighborhood. They taught me to count out, "Eeny, meeny .... Catch a (insert N word) by the toe." It was the first time I'd ever heard the word. My grandmother heard what was going on, hauled me inside and gave me a lecture about how people I loved would be hurt to hear me say that word. I also had to sit and think about what I'd done, etc. etc. and not play outside any more that day. (Even now it's a punishment to me to have to sit still for a long time and not be able to go outside.) That day at my grandmother's house almost three-quarters of a century ago, it was all a mystery to me, but I never said the word again and went on alert when other people did. Black folks use of it among themselves puzzled me then and still does.