“The Willie Lynch Letter… Origin of the ‘N’ Word & ‘lynching’ …”
The United States Army is an organization, like many others, that tries it’s best to implement an equal opportunity program in-order-to make for a less hostile work environment for it’s troops. Of course, it does not solve each and every problem, but at least, there’s an attempt…
Each unit in the Army is required to have what is called an “Equal Opportunity Representative.” This Soldier is sent to a two week course where he/she learns the basic ins and outs of the concept of equal opportunity as it applies to Soldiers in the Army. At higher levels within the Army there is what’s called an Equal Opportunity Advisor. This Soldier is sent to a 4-month long course in-order-to handle full blown equal opportunity complaints upon graduation. This becomes their full-time job once they graduate.
The equal opportunity ‘representative’ is required to train it’s unit on matters of equal opportunity throughout the year. There are quarterly requirements and anual requirements. There are lecture formats and /or discussion settings as well.
This past week, our unit had a discussion about “disparaging terms.” One of the most well known derogatory, or degrading, terms that comes to mind is the “N” word (I’m not even going to spell it.) When it came to this particular word during the discussion, one of the African American Soldiers gave us a brief history lesson about the origin of that word, and the origin of “lynching” used for hanging someone. He talked about the ‘Willie Lynch Letter’ and shared some of it’s contents with us. This discussion suddenly got very interesting to say the least… I had either forgotten, or never knew, about this man and his infamous (terrible) letter. …
Willie Lynch had called himself the master of a ‘modest plantation.’ He was summoned from the British West Indies to speak to the local slave owners on the James River in Virginia in 1712 about the problems they were having managing their slaves. The methods he discribed/advised were some of the most brutal physical, and psychological, methods imaginable. Basically, he advised the slave owners to stop hanging, or ‘lynching’ their troublesome slaves, and instead, start the process of breaking them down. Break them down to the point where all they know to do anymore is work themselves to death for you…
Part of the psychological degredation process was using the “N” word. A word coined by Willie Lynch. A word that, to this day, is still one of the most terrible words ever uttered…
The bottom-line of our discussion about disparaging terms was to be much more aware of what you are saying to others, because your words could have a larger impact than you realize…
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I want to quote your post in my blog. It can?
And you et an account on Twitter?
sure…don’t use it much, but yes…
Just for the sake of correct information, it should be stated that the Willie Lynch letter is only an internet hoax. It has spread around to the point of truth because of it’s inflammatory content. I am a teacher at an all black inner-city school and the letter was recently mentioned to me by my students. I had never heard of it before despite a degree in history. My class almost unanimously began angrily explaining it to me. I heard them out, however, suspected a hoax.
The real danger is not that the letter exists and whether the claims made in the letter can explain any real phenomenon in African-American culture, but that it is believed as truth. The effect of young people believing this to be true only extends the despair and perception of disenfranchisement of the community. The letter is a real danger is this way.
Thank You Sean for your insight. I wrote another short post as kind of an update to this one: http://www.rupperadio.com/people/%e2%80%9cwillie-lynch-letter%e2%80%9d-part-ii-did-willie-exist-is-the-letter-a-hoax/