Michael R. Harvey's definitions

splib

At North Texas State University, 1964, splib was the common word for black African Americans used by the jazz crowd. Gray, or gray dude, referred to whites on a similar level. These were in common usage among many civil rights activists as well.

I did not perceive it as derogatory at the time, more a hip code-word among the jivers (those speaking jive-talk).

That splib band had a lot of soul; the gray dude couldn't keep up.

by Michael R. Harvey April 13, 2006