nig·gard·ly (adj.) [nigŽerd-le]
1. stingy, miserly; not generous
2. begrudging about spending or granting
3. provided in a meanly limited supply
If you donât know the definition of the word, you might assume it to be a derogatory insult, a racial slur. You might be personally offended and deeply outraged. You might write an angry editorial or organize a march. You might even find yourself making national headlines
In other words, youâd better know what the word means before you pour your energy into overreacting to it.
Thatâs the jumping-off point for this powerful directive from Pulitzer Prizeâwinning journalist and bestselling author Karen Hunter. Itâs time for the black community to stop marching, quit complaining, roll up their collective sleeves, channel their anger constructively, and start fixing their own problems, she boldly asserts. And while her straight-talking, often politically incorrect narrative is electrifyingly fresh and utterly relevant to todayâs hot-button issues surrounding race, Hunter harks back to the wisdom of a respected elderâNannie Helen Burroughs, who was ahead of her time penning Twelve Things the Negro Must Do for Himself more than a century ago. Burroughsâs guidelines for successful livingâfrom making education, employment, and home ownership oneâs priorities to dressing appropriately to practicing faith in everyday lifeâteach empowerment through self-responsibility, disallowing excuses for oneâs standing in life but rather galvanizing blacks to look to themselves for strength, motivation, support, and encouragement.
From our urban communities to small-town America, the issues Hunter is bold enough to tackle in Stop Being Niggardly affect us all. Refreshingly candid and challenging, certain to get people everywhere talking, this is the book that takes on race in a newâyet also historically revered and
simply statedâway that can change lives, both personally and collectively.