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40 protest 3 words in hip-hop lyrics

Nearly 40 people gathered outside the For Your Entertainment (f.y.e.) store at Broad and Chestnut streets yesterday to protest the use of the words "nigga," "bitch" and "ho" in hip-hop lyrics.

Nearly 40 people gathered outside the For Your Entertainment (f.y.e.) store at Broad and Chestnut streets yesterday to protest the use of the words "nigga," "bitch" and "ho" in hip-hop lyrics.

The "Day of Outrage," to demand a "single standard of decency" from the music industry, was held in 20 U.S. cities. The protest was sponsored by the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network as part of its Decency Initiative.

"If we can change language, we can change murder," the Rev. Vernon Thompson, a member of the network's board of directors, told the mostly female crowd.

"We want the women to speak up," Thompson said. "[To say], 'I am somebody, I have dignity, you will respect me.' "

Dorothy Johnson-Speight, who founded Mothers in Charge after her son Khaaliq was murdered in 2001, also spoke.

"The blood is on the hands of all the artists out there that promote this violence," said Johnson-Speight. "Kids are at risk. Younger and younger people, 12- and 13-year-olds, are already involved in the violence."