What Does The Word Nigger Mean

If there’s one word in the entire English vocabulary that makes me cringe, it’s the word nigger. In Africa, my ancestors were referred to as “natives” by Europeans who had claimed new ownership of the country; in America, Africans were once again faced with oppression when the white man decided to label them as niggers. Referring to any African-American as a nigger causes me to feel as though my citizenship as an African-American means nothing. Reading the word nigger in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, or hearing someone say nigger in the hallways of Masters never eliminates this feeling.

I, and many other boys and girls just like me have sometimes grown up disliking the color of our skin or the texture of our hair. We grow

up seeing images that exclude African-Americans, and hearing abusive language towards our race. When I first arrived at Masters, I wasn’t sure if I would hear black jokes like, “all black people eat watermelons and fried chicken,” that are often seen on television shows. I was even afraid that I would be ostracized because of my race. Growing up in a predominantly black community always caused me to feel as though I was the majority. However, at Masters I would now be a minority. Would the other kids understand me?
Unfortunately, I quickly learned that racial biases don’t stop at the front doors of Masters (like the brochures promised). During my Freshman year, I walked by a predominantly white group of kids singing along to a rap song that included the word nigga. At first, I told myself that they meant no harm. After all, they were just singing along to a song. However, when I again heard two white friends using the word nigga as a way of greeting each other as many African-Americans do, I knew I had to say something. I kindly told them that it was not okay for them to say nigga, and they responded, “If you guys can use it why can’t we?” After two minutes of trying to reason with them, I quickly masked my anger with forced giggles and walked away. I didn’t want people to think I was over reacting. What I wanted to say to them was that African-Americans recreated the word nigger into N.I.G.G.A (meaning Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished) as a way of thinning the chains of an oppressive society. As Tupac Shakur said, "Niggers was the ones on the rope, hanging off the thing; niggas is the ones with gold ropes, hanging out at clubs." Each time we greet each other with “nigga” instead of “nigger” it’s a way of acknowledging each other’s struggle and connecting with one another.
Some people have argued that it is unfair to have a word that some people can and can’t use.

My response to that would be, “was it fair for white men to refer to African-Americans as niggers?” In my opinion, a white person saying nigga is just as bad as using the word nigger. “Straight Talk About the N-word” talks about the complexities of the N-word. It seems as though there are two prevalent perspectives on using the N-word in the white community. On one side, “some are so comfortable with the n-word because they’ve grown up on and been nourished by hip-hop.” Therefore, as white kids rap along to songs, the N-word loses its meaning. For them, nigga becomes a cool word- just another term in today’s culture. However, when black kids say nigga to each other a sense of brotherhood and understanding overcomes them. From another perspective, there are many white Americans who were taught never to say the N-word. Therefore, they spend their entire lives refraining from saying nigger, nigga, or any other forms of the word without a second thought. This may seem like a positive first step to becoming an ally to the African-American community-but it’s not. When white kids are programmed to never use the N-word without asking why, they lose the history behind the N-word. I believe that teaching white America more about the answer is what we need to put an end to the cycle of

oppression.
Nigger was used to encourage a hate culture between blacks and whites; however, the N-word also contributed to internalized oppression within the black community.

At the time, whites tried everything they could to demean African-American culture. White supremacists did everything they could to make the mind of a slave believe that he was nothing, and that his people were nothing. According to “Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word,” nigger "is an opprobrious term, employed to impose contempt upon [blacks] as an inferior race. . . . The term in itself would be perfectly harmless were it used only to distinguish one class of society from another; but it is not used with that intent. . . . [I]t flows from the fountain of purpose to injure.” Slavery taught the black man to compete with his brothers and sisters for the scraps society gives us- something that we still see today. You see, using the word nigger puts us back into that place of anger and oppression. We get angry because it reminds us that white America still does not see the African-American community as equal. Every time a white person calls an African-American a nigger they let us know that all the pain, anger, and fighting we did means nothing. People must understand that when they use this word they’re igniting a flame that America wants the rest of the world to believe is over. The truth is, the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments that were put in place to protect the rights of African-Americans are only

good in theory. Every day, the black community continues to face prejudice and injustice.
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the N word is used 219 times. Each time I read it, an alarm goes off in my mind that makes me feel as though I am being called a nigger. It unleashes feelings of anger. I begin to reflect on what my ancestors went through years ago, and what I am unfortunately still experiencing today. That being said, I believe there is an importance in reading a story like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that repeatedly refers to the black man or woman as nigger. Discussing the N word in an academic setting is completely appropriate. In fact, it needs to be discussed. I believe the critics of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are missing the significance of the story. In many ways, Twain’s depiction of race relations in southern society shows us just how ridiculous racism really is. Throughout the novel, Huck displays his ignorance regarding the African-American community through comments like: “I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their’n. It don’t seem natural, but I reckon it’s so.” Comments like this, causes the reader to realize that white people did not see African-Americans as humans. Instead, we were property. That is why Huck’s first characterization of Jim is “Miss Watson’s nigger.” However, as the novel develops Twain makes it clear that Jim is more than a nigger. Twain does not use the novel to demean African-Americans; instead, he uses Huck Finn to reveal the many layers of a black man to a racist society.
Most importantly, this novel gives teachers and students the opportunity to discuss racism. If we were to completely eliminate books that had the word nigger in it from our classrooms, and libraries we’d be ignoring an imperative moment in American history. Assata Shakur once said, “People get used to anything. The less you think about your oppression, the more your tolerance for it grows. After a while, people just think oppression is the normal state of things. But to become free, you have to be acutely aware of being a slave.” The first step to making a difference begins with acknowledging injustice towards African-Americans. However, change would not be possible if black people were the only ones speaking out against racial biases. Most students today understand that slavery is wrong; however, after discussing The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in class, I realized that the white students didn’t understand what it was like to be oppressed. They were almost afraid to say what they really thought about racism in fear of disdain from the African-American students, which caused them to retreat from the discussion. However, once the white students began to share their opinions on the issue of race it became apparent to the whole class that they had unintentional biases towards African-Americans. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, allowed the white students to acknowledge and address biases they never knew they had. Because Mark Twain used the N-word in Huck Finn, the class was able to gain a new outlook on racial stereotypes. This discussion caused me to see that Mark Twain did not use the N-word to demean African-Americans; he used it to draw attention to the issue of race.
In 21st century America, it is easy to lose sight of the many racial biases people still face today. Countless, schools, workplaces, and communities claim that they are “diversifying” their communities and expect this to satisfy our need for equality. However, when I look at recent race riots all over countless colleges across the country, I’m reminded of all the work that needs to be done. You can’t learn from your past if you disregard it. Our goal should be to eliminate the ignorance that many communities have involving the black struggle. Many white Americans want to forget what the murder and oppression their ancestors put African-Americans through. This causes them to detach themselves from that part of our history, and consequently they fail to truly understand us. Reading and discussing The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn forces students to talk about these issues. Since people are not uncomfortable saying nigger in their everyday lives, they shouldn’t be uncomfortable talking about it.