Banning the N-Word

By , Children's PressLine
Posted on March 8, 2007, Printed on August 28, 2008
http://www.wiretapmag.org/race/43028/

Issue: The "n word"
Why? Used as racial epithet
Action: Symbolic legislation passed in New York City and elsewhere.

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On March 1, 2007, the New York City Council passed a symbolic resolution calling for a moratorium on the use of the 'n-word." The n-word has a controversial history. Once used as derogatory speech directed at slaves, and as an epithet used to intimidate individuals during the Civil Rights era, it has since been transformed into contemporary slang.

The resolution was drafted by Queens Councilman Leroy Comrie, a five-year veteran of City Council and the Deputy Majority Leader. He told youth journalists from Children's PressLine in a phone interview that the ban wasn't an attempt to limit people's expression but, "We want people to present themselves in a better light, because in this world, it's your presentation that affects how you're treated."

Comrie blamed "the artistic community" for making the word popular in order to "make money." He went on to say, "If you use an objectionable word as an exclamation point, or try to reformat it as a friendship word, it only shows that you're not working to better yourself or to understand the world around you, and you're not respecting the sensibilities of other people."

Other cities have passed measures similar to New York City's, and and the AbolishTheNword.com web site was launched last April. Stillman College, a historically black university in Alabama, recently held a four-day conference to discuss the epithet.

CPL interviewed students from High School for Law, Advocacy and Community Justice on the controversial word. The interviews were conducted by Catherine Guzman, 14; Nygel Jones, 8; Elizabeth Negron, 14; Dardell Numa, 9, Netsukadetty Numa, 7; Shiann Pepin, 9; Sundar Sampath, 10.

Grace Petit, 17

The n-word used to be derogatory, to represent a negative image of black people, but now it's become just a word, like "hey" and "yo." It doesn't mean much. I personally don't mind it; it really doesn't bother me. The context that African-Americans were living in back in the time when the word was an issue, is not the context we're living in now. So, I don't mind it being used lightly.

If you're trying to downgrade me, then it's an issue. I can tell by the context of your words whether you're trying to disrespect me. A bunch of friends of mine, we were hanging out in the park. The cops tried to tell us to leave; I guess the park was about to close. We waited until another twenty minutes and the cop was like, "Don't you all niggers have something better to do?"

Christina Grooms, 18

The n-word is really for black people, from my prospective. I see a lot of Spanish people using it, and it makes me feel like, "You don't really know what it is. So why use it?" I hate when Spanish kids call their friends that. I hate when they call us that, 'cause they don't know what the real meaning of it is.

Kuamel Stuart, 17

I'm aware of the history of my people. Slavery and segregation was a well-oiled machine and using the word "nigger" was one of the parts. When I hear the word being used, it definitely hurts. I really can't feel what my great-grandfather would feel if he heard the word. He went through the tribulation of not being viewed as a person but as an object. If he heard the word, it would be a greater impact on his psyche than mine.

I think the reason why [the n-word] is being used so frequently is that our generation doesn't really have an appreciation of the history of the word. It was used in a time where our ancestors were degraded and none of us can really relate to that. The word is currently being defined as a term of endearment. When people use the word "nigger" it's like "my brother" or "you my homie." The real definition of the word doesn't coincide with what we give it now. When people use it, they don't understand [that] they're only degrading themselves.

There's people that say, "We changed the definition of the word, we changed the spelling." I don't necessarily agree with that. Then, you have the others who frankly don't really care. That's due to ignorance, not knowing about the history of the word. I don't use the word. I believe in being an example.

Jadon Regis, 17

Right now, we're not allowed to say [the n-word] in school.

I hear the word used a lot. My mother uses it, I use it. A lot of kids in high school use it, mostly every day, every minute, every second. My mother says it to me. I don't like it when she calls me that, but I can't do nothing 'cause she's my mother. I brush it off my shoulder, just leave it alone.

Zakiyah Nicklette, 16

I can't say I never use [the n-word], but I don't use it to put anybody down or as a term of endearment. It's just a word that floats around. One day I just said it and it didn't make an impact on me, it didn't make an impact on anyone. So I didn't think too much of it. I have not yet to run into a person that hasn't used the word, whether it's been in a negative way, a positive way, a term of endearment, any way out... in 16 years I haven't run into anyone who hasn't ever used the word.

People say things without using that word but they can hurt just as much. I think there are more serious issues to take care of than the language that someone uses.

Children's PressLine is a journalism program for young people ages 8 to 18 in New York City.

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