Topekans, state board member discuss N-word
State BOE member explains why he used it, is told it is never acceptable
About 50 people gathered Friday evening in Cushinberry Park to discuss the N-word, its history and whether its use is ever acceptable.
Among them were Topeka activist Sonny Scroggins, who organized the event, and Steve Roberts, a member of the Kansas State Board of Education who sparked a controversy earlier this year when he used the N-word at a board meeting to make a point during a discussion of African-American history.
Scroggins said the purpose of the event was to talk openly about a word that many consider the most offensive in the English language, but which is nevertheless commonly used.
“Let’s put a spotlight on it,” Scroggins said, speaking in the park adjacent to the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. “It’s not going to go away.”
He said it was particularly important to address the topic considering that many young people had come to use the word casually and without thinking about its origins.
“The best thing is to create a dialogue and let them know the history of the word,” he said.
Speakers took turns presenting their thoughts on the word.
“I’m Steve Roberts, and I’m here because I said the N-word once,” said Roberts, of Overland Park.
He spoke briefly of his reasons for joining the state board, saying schools needed a lot of work.
Roberts then recited Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a Dream Speech” from memory, struggling briefly at one point to recall a sentence, but making it through the speech.
The speech is one of six texts that Roberts says he has committed to memory as his “Patriotic Recitations” because they are crucial to understanding the nation’s history.
In May, Roberts drew criticism from fellow state board member Carolyn Campbell, members of the NAACP and others for using the N-word during a state school board meeting. At the time, Roberts said it was important to push the boundaries of political correctness and that King himself had used the word. Campbell and others said Roberts’ motives for using the word were unclear and that they had been shocked by his statement.
Other speakers at the event included Topeka resident A. J. Johnson, who said the N-word should be considered offensive, regardless of who says it.
“If the word is wrong, the word is wrong,” he said. “It’s got to be offensive if Steve (Roberts) uses it, and it’s got to be offensive if I use it.”
Another speaker, Latone Bills, spoke on the history of the racial slur.
Other speakers included Judi Bergquist, whose son was murdered in Topeka in 2007 and who spoke against violence.
“We’ve got to pull together and stop the violence,” Bergquist said. “We need to take back our town and support our community.”
Scroggins said he was planning to hold additional events over the next six months on the theme of the N-word, including an event Oct. 19 at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library.
