The “n-word” has been thrown around for generations. However, as years pass, the word seems to become more mundane. It’s almost as if everyone has forgotten the origination of the word.

During slavery, white people used that word as a hateful, derogatory term. It was considered the worst word they could use to describe a black person.

And instead of letting that word die with slavery, people today continue to use it.

When my grandmother was young, during the time period of segregation and the Ku Klux Klan, the main people using the “n-word” were white people. It was nothing to them back then; they could easily get away with it.

My great-grandmother did not allow the word to be used, so my grandmother refrained from using it.                 Actually, many black people refrained from using it during that time. When my mother was young, there was still a stigma attached to the word, which caused it not to be so commonly used in the black community.

Somehow, my generation doesn’t feel the stigma attached to that word. Today, it is so commonly used it seems the whole meaning has changed.

In an interview, rapper Jay- Z told Oprah he believed people give words power and that our generation has taken the power out of the “n-word” and made it a term of endearment, but that is so hypocritical.

We’d be ready to fight if a white person tried to use it, even if they had no wrong intentions.

And you can’t say you’ve changed the meaning of the word when it is used negatively and as a term of endearment.

Saying, “What’s up my nigga?” then turning right around and saying “Forget you, nigga.” refutes the idea of this new powerless meaning.

Some black people believe if we continue to take offense by the word, we are letting it hold us back in the past. However, some of those same black people believe it’s not okay for white people to use the word. In my opinion, that is a contradictory idea.

If the word no longer has that same derogatory meaning, aren’t you still living in the past by getting offended when white people use it?

Black history has always been near and dear to my heart. I am always eager to learn about the past. My past.  It’s because of my ancestor’s struggle for equality that I can eat, drink, live and socialize where I want today.

Why wouldn’t I honor them enough to not use that word so lightly? They were beaten, sprayed with hoses, attacked by dogs, lynched… and called the “n-word.” It’s a vulgar word and will always be. It will never have a new, powerless meaning, so stop using it.