eggplant, n.² — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

eggplant n.²

[SE eggplant or aubergine, the vegetable has a shiny purple-black skin; ‘translation’ of mulenyam n.]

(US) a black person.

1973–74		M. Smith Death of Detective 190: ‘Which black man?’...‘The blackest. Blue-black. Eggplant.’ [HDAS].
1979		S. Martin Jerk (film): We’ll keep out the eggplants...the jungle bunnies...the niggers [HDAS].
2006		posting at The Cellar 🌐 How many Niggers? [...] How many Eggplants? How many Darkies? How many Spearchuckers?
2017		T. Pluck Bad Boy Boogie [ebook] ‘I bet Cajun Jay likes eggplant. You coon asses are half moolie, right?’.