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8-year-old's pretty pink tee targets an ugly word

Joye Brown

June 26, 2008

It took a few days to figure out the message on the pretty pink T-shirt that got an 8-year-old in trouble at her Amityville elementary school this week.

"N The 'N' Word. It's Time!"

Was that nix the N-word?

Nuke the N-word?

Joye Brown Bio | E-mail | Recent columns

Negate, Nullify, Nay, Nevermore, Nip the N-word?

Finally, the energy-saving compact fluorescent light in my brain flicked on:

N the "N" = End the "N."

Ahhh.

Over the past few years, there's been a growing national movement to do just that.

Recently, Karen Haber, mother of the second-grader wearing the shirt, decided to take that movement into the local elementary school.

Haber dressed young Jaiden in the shirt and sent her off to deliver the End the "N" message to fellow 6-, 7-, and 8-year-old students.

It didn't take long for a few little ones to start talking, John Williams, the district's superintendent, said yesterday. They were saying things along the lines of, "Oh, look what Jaiden's wearing."

The adults started talking, too. And the next thing you know, Jaiden was ordered to swap her pretty pink tee for a new one touting Northwest Elementary School.

Jaiden, according to her mother, arrived home upset and embarrassed.

Her mother, who had dressed the child with the best of intentions, was angry.

And some in the school community split over whether the tee was appropriate, and whether school officials had violated Jaiden's right to free speech.

There's just one problem.

In an interview with Newsday, Jaiden said she didn't even know what the N-word is.

Where I had been confused about the tee's first N, Jaiden was ignorant - no, make that innocent - on the second.

All of which should toss discussion of free speech out of the window.

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