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A&T Debates the "N-Word"

Photo credit: A&T Register A forum at North Carolina A&T State University was staged for members of the student body to educate themselves on the nature of the "N-word."

By Dexter Mullins
Black College Wire

Myra Shird, a speech professor at North Carolina A&T State University, had this to say about the "N-word":

"I think that we as blacks today find it difficult to agree on the word 'nigga' because of the many different things in our culture. We need to get past this one idea of blackness."

She was speaking at a Sept. 20 Pan Hellenic Council forum for members of the student body to educate themselves on the nature of the word and the changes in how it has been perceived over time.

Shird encouraged those in the discussion to own the word and all its baggage. Stating there really is no difference between "nigger" and "nigga," Shird kept the room abuzz.

"The Ku Klux Klan, in certain sects, has denounced the use of the word because they say 'oh, the niggas own it now,'" Shird said, "we use it more than they do. We need to yank 'nigga' away from white supremacists."

Not all the speakers agreed fully with Shird. Shawna Irwin of the Office of Student Development said she never used the word.

"Up until working with college students over the last four years, everyone that I knew used it in a negative connotation," Irwin said. "My family didn't want me falling into being 'a product of my environment' and the way black women use it" -- the word -- "to tear down our black men, to me it's just a choice that I make, not to use it."

While personal preference did seem to have a large impact on the choice of whether 'nigga' should be used, some felt it came down to the delivery of the word, not so much what it used to mean.

Ingram Hill, a phonics instructor who had been a spectator during the discussion, stood up to address the audience to drive home a point.

"Unconsciously or subconsciously, we all have a special overtone that changes the offense in a word. Our culture pronounces the word with a 'nigga' sound. I have never heard a black person say to someone else, 'What's up my nigger?'" Hill said. "In my opinion, if there is a loud-to-moderate pitch in the word coming from an African American, it doesn't offend me, because to me that's a form of passion, of love."

Another issue was whether it was acceptable for other cultures to use what was called "our word."

Many felt there was no reason for non-African Americans to be allowed to use it, but a few thought otherwise.

"We don't want to put our dirty laundry in the street, but we do it through entertainment," Shird said. "It's just music imitating life. Once it becomes commercial, it's not exclusive anymore."

Irwin said, "It's not disappointing that it has become so commercial, because that's just business. It's disappointing because we have accepted it and we make it OK."

It also became a question of whether others can be "black enough" to use the word.

Those who are biracial can face a huge social challenge, according to Irwin, who said some in this category deal with a constant internal battle.

"I couldn't fathom dealing with two heritages," Irwin said. "I have friends who are mixed and they struggle daily with their heritage. In some cases, we as blacks treat them as though they aren't black enough, and whites are cautious around them because they're still black. It's just a struggle."

Hill asked whether whites can be blamed for calling blacks "niggas" when African Americans let them do so. In her opinion, it is a matter of knowing when it is right and when it is wrong.

"I can't blame them," Ingram said, speaking of whites, "because it is mainstream vocabulary. On the other side, there is a line that you don't cross. You just have to know when to turn it on and off.

"There's a part of me that isn't as mad because we have given people license to use it," Irwin said.

"I can't fault them for using it if we aren't ready to fault ourselves."

For Shird, it comes down not to fault, but to actions. The actions of black America, Shird said, determine the word's true meaning.

"If we act like what they" -- whites -- "called us," Shird said, "then we are one. This is the last semester I will do forums on the N-word. We are never going to agree and we need to have more forums about the behaviors versus just the language. If we spend days and nights on language and not on behavior, we're always going to be 'niggas'."

Dexter Mullins, a student at North Carolina A&T State University, writes for the A&T Register.

Posted Oct. 2, 2006