The Gantt Report

The Gantt Report

Guest Columnist

By Andrea Giggetts

 

 “N- word and flies

I do despise

The more I am around n- word

The more I like flies.”

 

    Sasser, Georgia is the epitome of a “Leave It to Beaver” existence. Nestled in a serene part of southeast Georgia (outside of Albany) where tradition trumps progress, there is an unwritten rule that permeates throughout the fabric of life within that slap-happy community.

    Translation: Everyone knows his or her place and is expected to act according to southern mores. And, if you are Black, you are required to be on your best “minimum security penitentiary” behavior as much as possible, or else…

    Regulated by the ruling class, anyone of color who displays a “gung-ho” attitude and attempts to challenge the imperialist’s hierarchy and dominion is met with contempt, vitriol, animosity, suspicion, intimidation, rage, resentment, and is ex-communicated, oddly enough, by both races.

    The “good” n-word contingent committee in Sasser is comprised of Black peons carefully handpicked by the ruling class. These disguised Uncle Toms and Aunt Jemimas, secretly but proudly, carry out their masters’ bidding with the precision and execution of a firing squad! Their reward is to curry favor by being known as the masters’ “do as I say” n-word.

    The “good” n-word’ objective is to gnaw at the short supply of optimism, create Disneyland confusion and doubts with Mickey Mouse antics, spew enough venom to populate dissension, and to fetch any tactical and strategic information so that “boss hog” and his vindictive and cowardly amigos will be forewarned and apprise of any maneuvers or events. Ha! Can you believe that the master-slave plantation syndrome is still alive in 2012?

    Anyway, having grown up in a town that was and still is a Mecca of Black pride and Black resistance (Tus-kegee, Alabama), it is a natural for me to fight injustices and inequalities, anywhere. In addition, in furtherance to my race consciousness, I am a disciple and under the spiritual guidance of a “Black bottom” octogenarian, Senior Pastor H.T. Rhim, who has taught me about someone who is a “battle ax” in the time of a storm!

    Recently, I undertook, some thought, an insurmountable challenge to rid the Sasser community of a blatant wrong. For the record, I reside in Jacksonville, Florida which is four hours away. As a result, I have become a lightening rod and a controversial figure within that community only because I had the unmitigated gall and gonads to vociferously object to an offensive road sign that for decades has been prominently displayed in this majority Black community, without impunity!

 

Andrea Giggetts

    Note: For further edification and to gain a historical perspective of this quest for justice, this writer refers you to previously written articles entitled “A Scared Negro Will Get You Killed” and “The Echoes of Slavery Still Reverberate.” Both articles can be accessed under my name on this website.

    Predictably, the Pharaohs in that community were not accustomed to having a Moses to cross the Florida-Georgia borders in order to commit a kamikaze. Collectively, a few dedicated civil rights warriors, under the leadership of Rev. Ezekiel Holley, worked collaboratively with me for the past nine months to voice our displeasure regarding the continued display of that derogatory sign.

    So, guess what happened? Slowly, more Black residents in Sasser, as well as, neighboring communities became detoxified and the invisible shackles of complacency began to be replaced with a pillar of strength and determination tantamount to the likes of Denmark Vesey, Nat Turner, and John Brown who were instrumental in leading slave rebellions which liberated their enslaved brethren.

    Predictably, the masters became threatened and contacted their “good” n-word reminding them of their roles and responsibilities as seasoned snitches, spies, liars, and traitors.

    Next, to counter the momentum of our crusade, the ruling class masterfully and cleverly started using their “majority rule” on the county council to bottleneck the constitutional rights of non-residents to air grievances at the county council meetings. Translation: the masters were intimidated by the eloquences and leadership savvy of an “intelligent” n-word (aka Andrea Giggetts).

    In addition, this same elected body tabled the discussion of this topic for one year. How come, Mr. Charlie? What are you afraid of?

    However, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. The Committee to Eradicate Chain Gang Road members began to assemble weekly protest rallies at the business of one of the county commissioners. Our goal was to constantly remind “him” that he represents a majority Black electorate and that he should acquiesce by voting according to their wishes.

    Needless to say, the ante has been heightening. Again, the heirs of the ruling class, along with their “good” n-word in tow, began to employ threatening guerrilla-warfare tactics and surveillances to include having the local police to monitor our movements or by planting stool pigeons to stalk some of the committee members. They even went as far to imply that I was in love with a “particular” individual within their community.

    Hey, Mr. Charlie, good try. I am in love———but only with Nicholas Giggetts, Jr. Duh!

 

Andrea Giggetts

    The measure of a man is truly tested when he or she refuses to crumble under social pressure.

    Yes, it has been a herculean endeavor to try to re-create a sense of brotherhood at the level of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. or Nelson Mandela within this community. Circumventing the “n-word” and the “ruling class” sometimes seems without naught. Yet, as a praying, faithful, and God-fearing people, we must continue to persist and we must continue to prevail. Just ask our ancestors why!

    Lately, my mantra has been “for every Goliath, there is a stone” because in the waning weeks of summer, the cohesiveness and commitment levels of several members of the Committee to Eradicate Chain Gang Road have been tested. They feel that our plight is nonsensical, but Pastor Holley and I beg to differ. God has supplied us with the “stones” needed to overcome this hurdle! Just believe and remain encouraged.

    God can remove stones. I am a witness!

    Anyway, as usual, we are battling age-old stereotypes and programmed thought processes such as black folks don’t have the endurance, or in order to sustain Black folks’ attention, they have to be fed bar-ba-que and chicken, and that we are only interested in singing and dancing, or if you want to cause dissension and strife, just start talking about who’s in “charge.”

    Come on, my people! The stakes are too high and we have struggled too far to quit NOW!

 

As I said:

“N-word and flies

I do despise

The more I am around n-word

The more I want flies.”

    Sadly, but sounds like I should start looking for some flies!

 

About Carma Henry 24455 Articles
Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

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