I have been toying with the idea of writing an article on this for a while now. It is a subject that, although “touchy,” should be spoken about on campus. The “N-word,” as we’ll get into later, is a slur and will continue to be a slur until the end of time. Thus, the history of the word and the way its usage has morphed today must be addressed, discussed, and understood. This is for one reason only: to protect the Black community. For those that shy away from this issue (and article), I leave you with this quote from Talking Back, a novel by author and activist bell hooks,
“there is much we — Black people — must speak about, much that is private that must be openly shared, if we are to heal our wounds (hurts caused by domination and exploitation and oppression), if we are to recover and realize ourselves.”
Now this is not to say that the N-word is a private matter, but it is to say that we, as Black people, must be loud in our beliefs and struggles so that not only listeners bear witness, but also so that we may heal as a collective.
To help me explore this, I asked Zharee Richards to interview with me. Richards is a sophomore Chemical Engineering major, and is involved with a variety of organizations on campus including the Stevens Dramatic Society, the Diversity & Inclusion Committee, and Black Student Union. In terms of identity, Richards comes from a Jamaican family and is a first-generation college student.
Nasir Anthony Montalvo: Tell me, what’s your favorite part in being a Black woman?
Zharee Richards: I would say that my favorite part of being Black is the community. The shared culture is something I find really special, especially since my parents are Jamaican. I was born in America, which technically makes me African-American, but I never grew up with that culture. But to still be able to find myself within the Black community is something I find important.
NAM: Getting into the topic, what’s your view of the N-word in general?
ZR: I think that context is important with the word, always. We can’t ignore how it started, and how it has been used to dehumanize and oppress Black people. However, it is a very common thing in human nature to have certain ownership and reclamation of terms that have been used to oppress you. We have seen it in the LGBTQ+ community, for example. However, you don’t see policing of the word in other groups as much.
Within the Black community, the use of the word is a prerogative of each person. You can choose to say it, you can choose not to, if you are Black. But if you are not, you simply don’t have that option.
NAM: Period.
ZR: Period.
NAM: So I want to get into what you said about “policing of the word” and how usually it’s only seen with the Black community. Can you tell me more about that?
ZR: Speaking from experience, I have gone to private schools my whole life and so all the schools I have attended have been predominantly white. I have seen White people feel entitled or reason to say that, “Oh, you shouldn’t say it. Well, no one should say it,” but you don’t get to make that decision because you are not a member of the community.
And that is not meant to be exclusive or to divide people, but, to me, it is a boundary. Boundaries are a part of respect. You wouldn’t go up to someone that you don’t know and ask them a really personal question because there’s a boundary there, and that would be considered disrespectful. The same logic applies here.
NAM: Going off of that, what is your take of people feeling entitled to say the word based on their community or upbringing? The lines being “blurred,” perhaps?
ZR: I don’t think the lines are blurry at all. You know if you’re Black and if you’re not. I think that this whole idea of certain other groups trying to mimic or caricature Black culture based on what they think it is, or from what they’ve seen in mainstream media, know that they’re not supposed to. I think they really don’t care either, and that is extremely harmful.
NAM: Do you think there’s any growth from people who have used the N-word? Is it possible to unlearn that?
ZR: I do think that people have the capacity to learn and grow from their mistakes. However, I think that very often they do not. In my opinion, a typed out apology in your Notes app is not a sign of growth. That’s just period. But often, people in the Black community are shamed for holding those accountable. We’re told we’re not letting them grow or learn from their mistakes, but we’re sitting here like “Where is the growth? Where is the unlearning of the behaviors? It’s not being seen.”
NAM: Agreed. Something we do see amongst Black community members is that some like to give out “passes” to their friends for the word. Is this okay? Should people only use the word around those members?
ZR: The foolery. My view is that absolutely NOT. You cannot give out an N-word pass. It’s something that is so insanely common, but no Black community member has the right to tell someone they can use it. It’s not up to one person to be a gatekeeper for the Black community, because we are all different within our own community. It’s also very performative to do that. To be the cool Black friend. It is not productive to anything.
NAM: At Stevens, what is the prevalence of this issue on campus?
ZR: I think it is extremely prevalent on campus. A lot of people will say it isn’t or would not like to acknowledge that. But it is prevalent. It is problematic. Especially when we consider the racial breakdown of Stevens undergraduate students.
NAM: Speaking of the racial breakdown of Stevens, I feel a lot of the time the people of color on campus all get lumped into this one group. In this lump, I feel there’s this idea that people feel the right to say the word. What’s your take on that?
ZR: I think this goes back to that same logic around upbringing and status. And it fails in the same way. At the end of the day, you do not experience Blackness on a day to day basis. Take Greek life — we are just now introducing a Black fraternity to the Cultural Greek Council. I think that shows that there is a difference in being a minority and being Black. That’s not to say minorities cannot be discriminated against or oppressed. But it is to say that our experiences are different.
NAM: Do you have any advice for Stevens community members who continue to use the N-word or choose not to address the issue?
ZR: I think my advice to people who exhibit behaviors mentioned before is to examine and interrogate their own beliefs. And when they think certain things about Black people or what Blackness is, question why they believe that and where those ideas came from. Do your research, and realize this is not something that is just now becoming an issue.
Identify with yourself and things you love about your own culture instead of trying to perform Blackness. Because it’s not funny to us. It’s not a joke to us. Or at least it’s not to me. It takes actual legitimate work on you to learn, advance, and actually grow. Grow all 2019. All 2020. And after that.
This interview has been edited and condensed. Keep in mind that these viewpoints/experiences are my and the interviewee’s and are not necessarily representative of those of the Black or Brown persons at Stevens and beyond.
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