I want to tell you about a word. A word so powerful, it can make people laugh, cry, or even cause a fight at its very mention. A word so controversial now, although it shouldn’t be, it makes most people break out in a cold sweat just thinking about it.
I’m here to tell you, from my perspective, it wasn’t always that way come with me to a time when the N word was cool.
Growing up on the mean streets of the southeast side of Chicago, everyone used the N word. It was a descriptive word an endearing word a word that gave you a certain status. As a matter of fact, growing up in my neighborhood if you were not called the N-word you were a loser, straight-up full stop.
My parents and the other parents in their circle prided themselves on raising N word kids because they called themselves the old Gs of N word parents and everyone on the block knew this was the case.
I can remember a time my mom had to go up to the school for an early morning meeting, so she decided to walk with us. In order to get to our school, we had to walk pass a pool hall which seemed to never close always some shady people hanging around there no matter what time day or night. This particular morning there was a huge crowd of the shadiest of shadys hanging out.
I said to my mom, “mom lets cross the street”
She said, “why”
I said, “so we don’t have to walk pass those shady people”
She said, “those people are not making me go out of my way I’m not scared of them, but they better be scared of me”.
We proceeded down the street and as we got closer to the crowd, I heard one of the guys say
“y’all straighten up and move out of the way here comes Ms. Hibbler and her kids, she’s an N word don’t mess with her”.
I witnessed something amazing happen then the shady guys parted like the Red Sea to let us walk through each saying to my mom,
“Good morning Ms. Hibbler”
and her saying back, “Good morning and have a nice day”.
It was that day that I knew being called the N word was something powerful.
Fast forward to today it seems the N word has lost its power no longer meaning a positive descriptive and endearing word it now means something nasty and awful; how did that happen?
The N word got its start in the 13th century, and it meant: foolish, ignorant, frivolous, senseless, weak. However, By the time it had reached my block in the 1980s and 90s the word had a totally different meaning. It meant cool, powerful, smart and kind. Today, it seems some would rather take us back rather than move forward.
Words have power, they can heal, they can hurt, and they can change the course of history. The N word is an example of this. Its history is a testament to how language can evolve for the good or for the bad.
So, the next time you hear the word NICE, remember it’s up to all of us to choose our words carefully, to listen, to learn and to be more mindful of the impact we have on one another.