Word: howard
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...even that wasn't as STUPID as the fuss in Washington," Buckwheat added. "David Howard, a white man just appointed as ombudsman for the new mayor, Anthony Williams, was talking to two staff members about the budget. He said that since funds were limited, he'd have to take a 'niggardly' approach...
...Howard immediately realized that using that word was a big mistake. The black guy he was talking to was sure he'd used the N word. Howard tried to explain that niggardly is a legitimate word meaning 'miserly' and has no racial connotation, to no avail. In a flash everybody in city hall thought Howard had called the black worker a you-know-what...
...sighed. "You probably know that Williams has been smarting because some African Americans have knocked him for not being 'black enough,' because he's more concerned with fixing potholes than delivering fiery speeches. So instead of telling the black guy to calm down and consult a dictionary, Williams accepted Howard's resignation." Buckwheat paused. "In a city like Washington this could start an epidemic of oversensitivity. You could have an explosion the next time somebody says there's a 'nip in the air' or a 'chink in your armor.' We've got to inject some common sense into this STUPID...
Within hours, several thoughtful black leaders started decrying the whole affair. The mayor, said N.A.A.C.P. chairman Julian Bond, had been "niggardly in judgment on this issue." H. Patrick Swygert, president of Howard University, advised people to "count to three" before leaping to any conclusions. Meanwhile Mayor Williams said he'd consider reinstating Howard. With a shouted "Here I was!" Buckwheat headed back into retirement...
...Howard University, Combs was a business major but schooled himself in party throwing. In 1989 he dropped out and returned to New York. He joined Andre Harrell's Uptown Records, where he rose rapidly from intern to vice president, launching Bad Boy there in 1991. Combs' greatest debacle still dogs him: a disastrous stampede that year in which nine people died at an oversold party he promoted with the rapper Heavy D. Last month a judge found that both men and New York's City College, the host of the event, shared responsibility for the deaths, although the finding carries...