Yes! I use the word Negro too. My lefty friend and I were just talking about how Mr. Crouch and I both use this word. I'll have to send her this piece, lol.
And I'll mention to her another hearing of this, listening to NPR the other day, the host had Mario Van Peebles and his dad Melvin on to talk about Mario's new movie about the making of the Dad's old movie. Dad was late, but the son said "We don't need to wait for that negro..."
Vocabularic vindication, yet again.