Moksha Patel
Student Voice
Recent events and protests advocating for the black lives matter movement make it important for citizens to stay educated on prejudice against black people.
This article touches on the historical significance of the N-word and why one should not use it if they are not black. Hundreds of years ago, during slave times, slave owners used the N-word as a negative, racial slur for their slaves. Slaves experienced great psychological trauma during captivity which also caused them to believe many of the negative stigmas against them. This is known as internalized oppression. The N-word highlights the depth of this internalized oppression. Also, the N-word was the last word many slaves heard before dying.
So why can black people say it? The black community has taken the word back and use it as an empowering statement which is why only they can say. If anyone else is to use the word it is no longer an empowering statement but an offensive slur.
Slavery is known to be a key stage in American history, however, a lesser-known fact is that Canada also used to have slavery. Slaves were worked tirelessly, beaten, abused, raped, and killed. Even after slavery was abolished in both countries, black people continued to face constant oppression and discrimination. The N-word simply highlights the trauma and discrimination black people have faced throughout history and makes it an unacceptable word for any non-black people to say.
Moksha Patel is a high school student from Napanee