In Detroit, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People held a mock funeral Monday to mark the symbolic burial of the N-word. Hundreds of people turned out for the event.

NAACP Chair Julian Bond: “I think the Don Imus controversy gave all of us a heightened awareness of how harmful the spoken word can be. And while we are great respecters of the First Amendment — had there not been a First Amendment, this organization would not exist — but we don’t believe it’s a violation of the First Amendment to say to somebody, 'You ought not to talk that way. You ought not denigrate women. You ought not condemn people because of the color of their skin.' So this, we hope, is sending a message to the country, in particular the world, that there are certain words that ought not be spoken.”

The event took place as part of the NAACP’s 98th annual convention.