Jenkins 1

Jassmine Jenkins
Carty
UWRT 1102
October 29, 2014
The N-Word: Who Can Use It
Growing up as an African American I was frequently exposed to the word nigga. What
up my nigga? That niggas this. And that niggas that. Even in the music that I heard nigga
was the choice way of referring to a person. When it was decided that our inquiry project would
be on bias I knew that I wanted my topic to be on the n word. Oprah once told Jay-Z in an
interview that she could never use or agree to the use of nigga because she always remembers
those men and women who were called nigger one last time before they were lynched. It is very
clear that this word, whether it ends with an a or er, has a very dark and negative past for her.
I, however, do not harbor such intense feelings regarding the word and its use. Since moving and
growing past these troubling times in history there has been huge controversy over who, if
anyone, should be allowed to use the word. Learning about this debate, and coming from the
background that I come from, I decided to find out which side of the debate I would fall into
(Jay Z on the N Word).
The original use of the word came from the Latin word niger, meaning black. At the time
of its original use this word came about in reference to our darker skin complexion. The word
was originally used as a reference to people with darker sin complexions. The word eventually
evolved in meaning. Once we had progressed as a people passed slavery into the time before the
time of civil rights it became a racial slur. It became a way of lowering African Americans as a

Jenkins 2

group. Then during the civil rights, during a period of black pride, nigga began to be used as a
term of endearment. And with the rise of hip hop the use of the word as an endearing word
became more and more abundant. Throughout the slow progression of the word it has evolved so
that there are two different words with different distinct connotations. Nigger, ending with and er, is the term used as a form of hate. This word has a very negatives meaning behind it, refers
back to slavery, and causes a sense of unease. Then there is nigga ending with an -a. This word is
a modified version of nigger and is a way of showing endearment. ("Nigger, n. and adj." 1)
Because of the dark background behind both of the words many people argue that the
word should not be used at all. For instance, there is Rob Nelson, who is [expand on who he is].
Nelson said:
No matter what's done with the last syllable of the word, it doesn't
make it any less offensive or demeaning. It doesn't soften the blow
of a word that has been used or centuries to ostracize, humiliate,
and dehumanize blacks. It does not erase the scars of the words
slavery laden meanings or lessen the severity of its racism. It does
not do a damn thing except prove that, after decades of progress in
civil rights blacks are still shackled.
Throughout his article he makes the argument that we cannot, as a race move on and grow if we
are using either word. Nelson believes that the only way to truly achieve equality is to eliminate
the words permanently. (Nelson 117) There have been others who feel the same way about the
use of word:. Like Oprah Winfrey. Oprah during her an interview she gave with Jay-Z asked him
about his constant use of the word. Not only did she say that she could not use or agree to the use
of the word. But she also said that she could not be friends with someone who uses the word.

Jenkins 3

Oprah felt that she could not agree to the word because of her personal experience growing up in
a time of such racial tension during the civil rights period. (Jay Z on the N Word)
On the contrary tThere are those who believe that the use of the word nigga is alright.
People like Jay-Z. During the same interview with Oprah, Jay-Z countered her beliefs with his
own saying:
To me, it's just a word, a word whose power is owned by the user
and his or her intention. People give words power, so banning a
word is futile, really. "Nigga" becomes "porch monkey" becomes
"coon" and so on if that's what in a person's heart. (Jay-Z 1)
Like the quote said Jay-Z believes that the use of the word is ok because giving the word power
is really what matters. So avoiding the word will do little because then the power and hate of the
word will simply be transferred to the next term. Jay-Z believed that censoring the word did little
and that the only way to change it is to change the people who are using. He thinks that it is
really just a matter of intentions. He feels that it is not a problem for anyone to use a word
because it is not the word that is the problem but how you choose to use the word.(Jay Z on the
N Word)
Emily Bernard is a professor at the University of Vermont. Emily Bernard, like Jay-Z
does not mind the use of the word. Then there is Emily Bernard, a professor at the University of
Vermont. Bernard posted and essay discussing the use of the word in her all white African
American studies class. She talks about the discomfort that her students felt about the word. She
talks about how while discussing other words with one of her students she brings up the word
nigger to them. Once she does this the student automatically becomes awkward. He did not feel

Jenkins 4

comfortable saying or even discussing the word with his teacher. When she brings the discussion
to her class many of the students respond the same way. Some went as far as to refuse to use no
matter what. Even after she made it clear that it was alright for them to say it, it was still an air of
hesitation while they said it. (Bernard 1) Even amongst other races there is a debate about the use
of the word, whether is something that they consciously do or not.
No matter what throughout all the views presented there has been one common factor.
All of these people believe that nigger is a negative word. There is no way that you could present
it that would not cause some sort of ire from others., wWhere nigga is an adapted form of the
original word, nigger is the actual worddirect source and no matter what it will still carry that
negative and hurtful meaning. [[Expand More]]
[[Add Paragraph about NAACP & Hip-Hop]]

Formatted: Font: Bold

Formatted: Font: Bold

Formatted: Font: Bold

I think that it is alright to use the word nigga. I feel this way because it The word has
evolved passed beyond its original meaning. I feel that, nowNow that we have the same rights as
everyone else, we no longer have to deal with so much blatant racism so it does not have the
same meaning. At this day and age in time the same terms and phrases used as a source of
degradation to African Americans is not the same as what it was during slavery and the Civil
Rights Movement. I also agree with Jay-Z in his belief that it is the persons intentions that
really matter. I think that words have meaning based on the intentions of the person using them.
Yes, the origin of the word nigga is dark. nigga does have a bad history. However, if we were to
get rid of the word for good, nothing would change. We would just move to another word and
give it the same meaning as the word nigger. The only way for us to solve this problem is, like
Jay-Z said, through eliminating racism, not the word. Racism is what fuels the person who raises
their voice to refer to a person who someone from a different background than them. Racism

Jenkins 5

causes people to see a person, not for who they are but for what their appearance happens to
be.No matter what throughout all the views presented there has been one common factor. All of
these people believe that nigger is a negative word. There is no way that you could present,
where nigga is an adapted form of the original word, nigger is the direct source and no matter
what it will still carry that negative and hurtful meaning.
The word nigger and nigga has a dark meaning. They come from such dark times of
racial turmoil that they have been deemed demeaning. There has been a debate about whether the
two words should or should not be used. I think that it is alright. Tupac Shakur said that Nigger
refers to those people who had to suffer through slavery and the civil rights period. Niggas are
people who are passed the slavery and extreme inequality. (Shakur)

Jenkins 6

Work Cited
Bernard, Emily. Teaching the N-Word: A Black Professor, An All-White Class, and the Thing
Nobody Will Say. The American Scholar: Teaching the N-Word Emily Bernard. Phi
Beta Kappa, 1 Sept. 2005. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.
Jay-Z. Decoded. New York, NY: Spiegel & Grau, 2010. 1. Print.
Jay-Z on the N-Word. Perf. Jay-Z and Oprah. King World Productions, 1984. Online Streaming.
Nelson, Rob. "The Word "Nigga" Is Only for Slaves and Sambos." The Journal of Blacks in
Higher Education No. 21 (1998): 117. JSTOR. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/2999021?ref=no-xroute:9496d26b5a426873bb939e02af1fe3ed>.
"Nigger, n. and adj." OED Online. Oxford University Press, September 2014. Web. 26 October
2014.
Shakur, Tupac. "Tupac Explaining Word Nigga." Youtube. N.p., 13 Dec. 2006. Web. 15 Oct.
2014.