Boston Magazine did a superb profile of Henry Louis Gates Jr. the W.E.B. Du Bois Professor of Humanities and chair of the department of Afro-American studies at Harvard University.
The article was in-depth, informative and interesting, to say the least. But the headline read a disgraceful and tasteless: "Head Negro In Charge."
I would hope that after years of struggle, success and accomplishment, Mr. Gates would be considered more than the HNIC, but it is apparent that that is what Gates' achievements amount to in the eyes of the writers at Boston Magazine.
It is appalling that the headline struck Boston Magazine as an attractive description of a man who Time magazine included as one of its "25 most influential Americans" and Newsweek added to its list of "100 Americans to watch for in the next century."
The headline showed poor taste and lack of judgment on the part of the copy editor and editors of the magazine.
The title is not in any way complimentary. It is just as ignorant as the African- Americans who walk around with caps donning the letters: HNIC.
In fact, the title is totally unacceptable and a slap in the face to all African-Americans who have worked hard to achieve success at the same level as Gates. The headline was a sickening display of inadequate journalistic ethics and taste.
The writer, Cheryl Bentsen, translates HNIC "politely" as "Head Negro In Charge" I disagree. There is no polite way of using the title.
There is no proper way of using the title. And there is definitely not a respectful way of using the title.
Bentsen and the editors at Boston Magazine could have gone ahead and used the other "N" word, because the use of "Negro" in its place has been no less offensive or embarrassing.
It is a shame that Boston Magazine let its unprofessionalism and lack of journalistic ethics in headline writing overshadow an article that shed light on the life, success, unparalleled academic achievements of Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Roberson is a sophmore
journalism/RTV major.