Attorney Roy Miller from Mason, Georgia has devoted his life to justice, racial equality, and music. He has succeeded in all three roles. In fact, through his efforts, he has even succeeded in having the infamous n-word slur against Black people stricken from a major dictionary published by Funk & Wagnalls. His young niece was the impetus for his fight against the company.
He comments, “Around Christmas of 1993, my sister purchased the new edition of Funk & Wagnalls Standard Desk Dictionary for my 13-year old niece at a grocery store in Macon, Georgia. I visited my niece on March 6, 1994, and she appeared sad and depressed. My niece told me she no longer wanted the books."
“Knowing how excited she was when she first got them, I was puzzled at the change in her attitude and asked why. She told me and I immediately understood,” he recalls.
Funk & Wagnalls has published a collection of English language dictionaries known for emphasis on ease of use and current usage. But consider the dictionary’s definition of the n-word: "nigger n. A negro or member of any dark-skinned people; a vulgar and offensive term (See Negro).”
