Corey Washington: I come from a single parent household, so I
would have to say my mother. She
would always push me to be the best that I could be
academically. I
never saw my environment as a hindrance, because my mother would
always make sure that I had whatever I needed as far as my
schooling went. I
remember taking a bus on Saturday mornings across Brooklyn to a
community college. I
was only an elementary school student taking classes that my
mother had signed me up for. Here
I was, a child in a room with adults taking math classes. As
far as writing, my influences started at the collegiate level,
more specifically, Augusta State University. We
had to do so much writing, that it became something that I felt
was necessary to enjoy. I
remember Mrs. Sutherland, a little old lady trained at Emory in
Atlanta, as being my biggest writing influence. I
took many literature and writing courses at both the
undergraduate and graduate level at ASU with Mrs. Sutherland as
my professor.
Books-And-Authors.net: Why did you write Plain
Talk – Volume I? Where did the idea for this book come from?
Corey Washington: I wrote Plain Talk as a response to events
that happened in the summer of 2009. Henry
Louis Gates and Officer Crowley had their run in at Cambridge
Mass. The President
became involved, which lead to the Beer Summit. CNN
was running a very positive and motivating special called: Black
in America Part 2. I
kept hearing the mainstream media call for a fresh dialogue on
Race in America. However,
when I watched the news, I kept seeing the same faces and voices
talking about race. I
began to think about the best way to enter the discussion on
Race. That’s how I
came up with Plain Talk. Originally,
I was supposed to have a co-author, Carlton Holden, but he
backed out. The
material about slurs and stereotypes in Plain Talk largely came
from conversations that Carlton and I have had over the years. As
I began writing, I kept coming up with more ideas about how to
apply the information about slurs and stereotypes. The
title Plain Talk comes from reading many books on Race and
wondering who the intended audience was. I
wanted to write a straightforward book, designed to reach a wide
spectrum of people. The subtitle: Everything you ever and never
wanted to know about Racism and Stereotypes is my attempt to say
that I tried to be evenhanded and provide coverage of an array
of different cultures, but at the same time, this book includes
things that may be hard to read. (i.e. slurs, negative
stereotypes)
Books-And-Authors.net: You write, "My purpose in
producing this list of racial slurs is to educate people."
What is a slur? Why do you think some slurs are OK for one
culture and not for another? Explain.
Corey Washington: A slur is an insulting or disparaging remark. Slurs
are used to tear down people’s self-esteem. Some
people try to convince themselves that slurs have no effect on
them, but the effect is either subconsciously or subliminally
effecting them, whether they know it or not. In
a perfect world, no one should use slurs. Realistically,
we have to recognize that as humans, we tend to accept (Or at
least not feel as offended) slurs that come from our own race. That’s
why you have Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, and Chris Rock saying
the N-word and people laughing at their jokes. You
also have George Lopez and Carlos Mencia using Hispanic and
Latino slurs and getting away with it. The
problem becomes when other races hear you saying these slurs to
refer to yourself or your race. Other
races may use the excuse: Well,
you use the word all the time, why can’t I use it. That’s
why a simple rule should be not to refer to other races by
slurs, because it is never that funny when you are calling
someone a slur outside of your race. This
is a complex issue for some, that’s why I stay away from slurs. It
is also good to educate yourself about slurs so that you know
not to use them and why it is hurtful to people.
Books-And-Authors.net: You write, "Another thing that
racists like to do is take a famous figure from a particular
race and apply this name to the entire race (especially if
the person is infamous).." Explain.
Corey Washington: If a black person does something bad, you may
hear that person being called O.J. Or
if it is of a sexual nature, you may hear the black person being
referred to as Kobe. If a black person is really dark and has
nappy hair, a racist may generically refer to the person as
Buckwheat (from the lil’ Rascals). It
is just a device used by people to lump all people that share
some trait together. Many
people do this for comedic affect, but many times it is used in
a racist way. The
same thing has been done with Osama Bin Laden. I
have heard Muslim people called Osama because they were wearing
a turban and sporting a long beard.
Books-And-Authors.net: How did you research for Plain
Talk – Volume I
Corey Washington: I wrote down all of the slurs and stereotypes
that I could think of out of my head, and then I researched my
findings with those of other people to see if these slurs and
stereotypes were recognized across the board. I
decided to include some slurs that I had never heard of in order
to further educate people on what’s out there. As
far as the incidents, I am a news junkie so I knew most of the
events first hand. I
scoured publications and the internet to make sure my facts were
correct and to add small details that I had forgotten.
Books-And-Authors.net: What do you hope to achieve
with Plain
Talk – Volume I ?
Corey Washington: I hope people read Plain Talk and realize that
we can do without many of the slurs and stereotypes that we have
in our minds. I hope
that readers will take responsibility for their actions and
learn from the mistakes of others.
Books-And-Authors.net: What do you hope readers will
say after reading Plain
Talk – Volume I ?
Corey Washington: I came away from this book learning what
stereotypes I need to shy away from. I
have learned something new about a particular culture that
I didn't even think about before. I
am determined to not use slurs in my personal life. Also,
I don’t want slurs being used around me as jokes. I
understand why this particular slur is hurtful to this
particular race. I
get it now!
Books-And-Authors.net: What's next?
Corey Washington: I am working on Plain Talk Vol. 2, tentatively
titled: Digging a little Deeper. I
want to explore in more detail the factors which cause racism to
be so ingrained in American life. I
will still have some racial gaffes and follow ups to events
talked about in Volume 1.
Books-And-Authors.net: Do you have any hobbies? What
are they? How do they enhance your writing?
Corey Washington: I love to
play and follow sports on T.V. I
also love to travel and visit museums and other points of
interest. Like I said before, I am a current events/news junkie
and follow events as they happen around the world. These
hobbies enhance my writing, because they are directly related. In
Plain Talk Volume 1, sports were heavily featured. As
I am keeping up with these events, I am constantly keeping
notes. I even
consider writing to be a hobby.
