PISCATAWAY, N.J.
A day after controversial radio host Don Imus’ show was suspended because of his racially offensive comments, scholars are weighing in about the issues of racism and misogony this episode has raised.
Meanwhile, the Rutgers women’s basketball team has agreed to meet with controversial radio host, as their coach on Tuesday called his now infamous comments “racist and sexist remarks that are deplorable, despicable and abominable and unconscionable.”
While players stopped short of saying whether they thought Imus should be fired, they were clearly frustrated during a nationally televised press conference over the attention brought by Imus referring to the team as “nappy-headed hos.”
“Unless they’ve given ‘ho’ a whole new definition, that’s not what I am,” said sophomore center Kia Vaughn.
Some scholars say the talk show host has, once again, raised stereotypical assumptions about Black women. He once called PBS senior correspondent Gwen Ifill “a cleaning lady.” Imus also called the Rutgers team “jigaboos” and “rough” while referring to the visible tattoes on many of the players.
Dr. Tricia Rose, a professor of Africana studies at Brown University, says the phrase “nappy-headed hos” conjures old Black stereotypes of hyper/deviant sexuality and the assumption that Black women are not attractive.
