Letter to the editor: York must silence America’s most hurtful word

Some may recall a survey on thisisyork.org in January 2019 regarding the use of the  N-Word. This survey was quickly taken down due to its offensive nature and failure to obtain the voice of York’s African American population in the creation of the survey.  

York’s Black Student Union, a club representative of the black population at York, which consists of fewer than 85 students, was particularly upset by this survey, but more so the students’ responses to the survey.  Although the survey was taken down after about seven hours, 182 students were still able to take this questionnaire with only three respondents being black. Over 80% of people who took the survey were white, 6% were Hispanic, and 5% were Asian.  

The survey included questions such as, “Do you believe it is okay for a person not identifying as black to say the N-word at all?” and “Do you believe it is okay for any person not identifying as black to say the N-word if they are singing along with a song that includes the N-word?” Although 69% of students believe that it is not okay for non-black students to use the N-word socially, 20% of the survey respondents do not see anything wrong with the use of this word.  When asked of the use of the N-word in songs, 47% said it is not okay for non-black people to use this word when singing along to songs, while almost half, 42%, say it is okay. 

Some respondents even said that it is okay to say the N-word in any setting as long as no African Americans are present.  Few said that no one, black or not, should use the N-word.  The percentages of students who see no harm in the use of the N-word is still rather large, considering that we live in a community that considers themselves very well-educated and progressive.  York’s Black Student Union took tremendous offense to many of the survey responses, but chose to use these results as an opportunity to inform York’s student body, as these results are symbolic of greater ignorance regarding this word.

The commonly shared belief of the use of the N-word is that all non-black people should not use it, but many see this solution as racist and counter-intuitive because it allows one group of people to use a word and others not to. However,  if you relate this issue back to the original issue of slavery in which this word was used against black people, it would be completely fair to allow African Americans the right to use this word.  

Black people use the N-word in modern-day culture because many strengthening aspects accompany this word.  Black people have reclaimed the N-word by means of turning a dehumanizing word into a term of endearment and strength within the black community. In an article from “The Conversation”, Jacquelyn Rahman explains that “During the period of slavery, n-gga became a term that Africans used to refer to themselves as companions in the struggle to survive,… ‘Using the term highlighted the identity of a speaker as participating in the culture of survival.’” This is apparent when Jay-Z tells himself in Holy Grail, “you still alive, still that n****, n****, you survived, you still gettin’ bigger”.  Although the N-word has a daunting and torturing history for African Americans, black people were still able to transform the meaning of this word to uplift each other and allow each other to overcome their common struggle of slavery. This is why it is commonly used by many black rappers in songs, as well as in common dialect.  For a white person to use the word in the same context as black people, it would only be offensive because white people did not undergo the same struggles as black people allowing them to use this word with the same background.  

White people should have no further dictation on how this word should be used because they created this word and gave this word a negative meaning.  White people should also have no voice on how black people should feel in regard to this word because black people are fully capable of expressing their feelings on a word that had previously oppressed them. However, the N-word is an unacceptable word to be used by any race in a professional setting.  This would include settings such as work or school. Because of the word’s harmful and negative history, you must be mindful of the emotions and feelings that others may possess towards this word, regardless of their race. As the N-word continues to be used improperly, the progress we have achieved in anti-racism will be halted and history may repeat itself.

The History:

To fully understand the argument regarding the N-word today, you must recognize the history and origin of this word.  The discussion on the N-word persists due to ignorance of this word. This is a word that did not originate as a slur but was rather transformed and shaped by white people.  

The history of the N-word is often traced to the Latin word niger, meaning black.  This word became the noun, Negro (black person) in English, and simply the color black in Spanish and Portuguese.  The N-word originated as a harmless descriptor to describe the color black but eventually evolved across many cultures to be known as a descriptor for human beings. 

 Regardless of its origins, by the early 1800s, the N-word had firmly been established as a derogative term and has also become a principal term of white racism. With the continuation of slavery, the N-word became the word n******, which carries much of the hatred and disgust directed towards black and African Americans. It is arguably the most offensive American insult, deemed by the word’s power to provocatively paint an entire race with the use of a single slur.  

The N-word holds a history that connects not only to slavery but to blackface, segregation, racist nursery rhymes such as Eeny Meeny, and overall the biased and cruel treatment of African Americans.