By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices
Eddie Griffin experienced a real "n-word" wake-up call when his raunchy comedy act came to a screeching halt last weekend in Miami.
The 'Undercover Brother' star was booked as the main headliner for Friday night's line-up at the Black Enterprise/Pepsi 14th Annual Golf & Tennis Challenge.
The pint-sized, loud-mouthed funnyman's profanity, racial-slur-laced tirade didn't go over too well with the family friendly sold out audience.
Griffin turned out to be the ultimately show-stopper, literally, when his microphone suddenly "failed" after repeatedly using the 'N-Word.'
Soon after his abrupt silencing, Black Enterprise magazine owner and publisher Earl Graves, came on stage with the plug in his hand and said: "We at Black Enterprise will not allow our culture to go backwards. Black Enterprise stands for decency, black culture and dignity and we will pay Mr. Griffin all that we owe him but we will not allow him to finish the show if that's the way he's going to talk."
Whoa. Talk about theatrics.
Graves received a standing ovation from the sold-out audience, including Rev. Al Sharpton, who preached at the event the following day and applauded Mr. Graves for his strong stance on behalf of Black people.
Black Enterprise spokesperson Andrew Wadium did confirm that Griffins's show was cut short, citing "language restrictions," but did not go into much further detail.
A request for comment from Graves was declined.
Sharpton, on the other hand, didn't hold back in sharing his thoughts with The BV Newswire today. "I was proud and grateful that Earl Graves, Sr. stood up for our people and his readers by pulling the plug on comedian Eddie Griffin who repeatedly used the "N" word at his performance at the Black Enterprise-Pepsi Challenge over Labor Day weekend in Miami."
"It signified that we at National Action Network are not alone in the fight to end the demeaning and racist language that has allowed our people to aid in their own victimization for years," Sharpton, , on the frontlines for the voice of the disenfranchised for the past two decades, continued. "In any other community there are organizations that stand up for the rights of the people such as the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) that monitors the insensitivity and racism against the Jewish community, and my group is no exception."
"In the same way that no comedian or entertainer would get up and call a Jewish person out of their name without their being outrage, we will not allow black people to be demeaned by our own people," Sharpton maintained. "Eddie Griffin has the right to say what he wants to say, but we have the right to protest what he says and will hold everyone to these same standards. I have nothing personal against Mr. Griffin but I will continue to fight tirelessly to end the indecency that is setting us back a hundred years."
"My daughter Dominique was in the audience that night and called me and said 'Dad I witnessed history in the making today" and when she relayed what happened to me I was content that our efforts have not been in vain."
A rep for Griffin could not be reached by deadline.
BV EXTRA: In case you missed it, read all about Rev. Sharpton's war of words with rap lyricist David Banner.
Comments: (268)
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By: sandy c on 9/05/2007 6:17PM
thank you thank you thank you
I don't know who you are Mr. Graves but I am so proud of you. It is crazy for us as a people to get mad if someone of another race calls us that demeaaning word when we continue to use it. It is truly a tacky way to express yourself. Comedians need to realize that the n word is not needed to be funny.
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By: tasha on 9/05/2007 7:07PM
I would like to thank Mr. Graves for speaking up to Eddie for using the "N" word...it seems that everyone has become so desensitized to degrading our race...like it's supposed to be ok for it to happen...just like when Al Sharpton said if we were to say anything about Jews or Muslims or whatever it would be considered derogatory but to call us n.....s that's considered "free speech"?? Man there is something wrong with this picture and we ALL need to wake up and not take this anymore-not from our own and definitely not from anyone else!!!
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By: sharon on 9/05/2007 7:33PM
LOVE IT!! LOVE IT!! Black people are we finally getting it?? It gives me hope to see that we aren't afraid to "shut em down".
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By: TonyBee on 9/05/2007 7:35PM
If they want make this a us(oldfolks)against them thing(hip-hop Gen) we can.The problem with old people is they care what white people think of them too much.No matter how many positive TV shows black folks put on,Master still gonna think your less than him.
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By: TonyBee on 9/05/2007 7:46PM
Where were you old folks when Richard Pryor put out that dirty album,you didn't say Rich stop telling those dirty joke,YOUR MAKING US LOOK BAD.You let Richard be Richard you let Red Foxx be RedFoxx and you let Bill Cosby be Bill Cosby.So let the comics and rappers be themselves.
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By: Gail on 9/05/2007 8:38PM
Thanks Mr. Graves for taking a stand. I commend you and hope that others in the black community will do likewise. It is about time that we as a people stop accepting and perpetuating the sterotypes about us. My surprise is that given the limited information that I have and know about Eddie Griffin, is that he was chosen to be apart of that event.
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By: TonyBee on 9/05/2007 10:19PM
Black folks are the only people that get on TV and bash their kids.Your coming in are game(Rap and comics)telling us what are words mean.The word Dope means one thing to you and one another to me.It's not are fault hip-hop supercede blackness.
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By: Saliem on 9/05/2007 11:49PM
Mr.Graves should've pulled the plug on the organizers of this event for booking Eddie Griffin. Did they not know that Eddie Griffin was going to show up with his liberal profanity and use of the "n word"? Who can recall an Eddie Griffin show that was profanity-free? Walking out with the unplugged end of the mic cord reeks of black church theatrics aimed at the goal of a desperate publicity stunt, with Mr. Griffin as the sacrificial lamb to make a small group of "black leaders" appear relevant in the tradition of MLK and Macolm X. However, this will do more to drive young black people away from constructive discussion on black issues pertaining to this word: nigga, nigger. Why does everybody have to share a brain in america? I don't get it. Muting people from free speech will only put a premium on the touchy words they use. It also gives parents an excuse to shirk the responsibility of teaching their kids. To me, the ideal parent would've with their kid and stomached Mr. Griffin's act then explain why his use of the word is intolerable according to the parent's perception. If we are to say use of the n-word is so dispicable, than every black comedian who has ever used it in their act should labeled a traitor to the black race and written out of our ranks in history.
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By: Bree on 9/06/2007 12:19AM
Thank you Mr. Graves for taking a stand. Next time your people need to do their homework and book a comedian who won't be so offensive. I know that may be hard to find, but I think Sinbad has a lot of free time on his hands. Or maybe Bill Cosby.
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By: Kenneth on 9/06/2007 8:11AM
Right on, Ty.
TonyBee, you can't spell......
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