HENRY LUIS GATES - Head Negro In Charge? [02-01-07]

HNIC'S GET NO RESPECT
Henry Louis Gates, Jr Stirs Controversy on East Coast

Tony Martin Professor of Africana Studies, Wellesley College said ...
"Head Negro in Charge: Henry Louis Gates, Jr."--so runs the headline of a feature article in April's Boston Magazine. The story is featured along with articles on "Incredible Shrinking Women" and "Grape [sic] Expectations", among others. It is safe to assume, however, that most of this month's Boston Magazine readers have ignored the incredible shrinking women in favor of the Head Negro in Charge.

Henry Louis "Skip" Gates has for years been methodically promoted by white and Jewish America as the officially approved representative of the Negro constituency, but never so openly and controversially as in this Boston Magazine article.

The article is a typical Skip Gates promotional piece, but with two major differences--it is brutally frank about white America's role in conjuring this "leader" out of its hat and it demonstrates, wittingly or otherwise, the contempt which white America reserves even for Black folk who do its bidding. The Head Negro (really "Nigger") in Charge designation is one of the most eloquent of African America's multitudinous expressions of hatred for traitors to the race. It is said to have its origins in slavery among the field slaves who viewed with contempt and disgust the antics of the sellouts that ole massa handpicked to lead them. Black English is full of expressions for these contemptible creatures; Uncle Tom, hat-in-hand Negro, bootlickin' Negro, yes massa Negro, good Negro, responsible Negro, howdy boss Negro, shufflin' Negro, [Plantation Negro], shuckin' and jivin' Negro, Aunty Jemima.

Marcus Garvey said that this was the type of Negro who would lick the white man's spittle off his mouth if the white man asked him so to do. Malcolm X said that when ole massa was sick this type of Negro would say, "Massa, WE sick?" CONTINUED