... I think some people might be offended with good reason if I kept the word "darkies" in a song Stephen Foster song that I sung. The state of Kentucky don't include it in their anthem.
Nanci Griffith had something interesting to say on the matter:
"I think we're losing something in not repeating his (Foster's) lyrics or in adapting them, changing them to make them more politically correct, because he was trying to blend some things and create an awareness that we need to remember. It's part of black history and it's part of American history and you can't change history. It's good to reflect on it. I think it's more important to study history as it is, lest we ever repeat ourselves."