It's (Still) Not Cool To Say The N Word.

It's 2017 and for the life of my I still can't seem to understand why people think it's ok to walk around calling black people the N word. Especially black women that are public figures such as Sharon Reed. I don't know her personally, but I've definitely watched seen her on the news before during the times that I visit Atlanta. I first noticed this segment on my Facebook timeline (someone posted it straight from their TV in real time) and I was so shocked. Apparently a reader (Kathy Rae) sent in a comment to Sharon saying she is what is "wrong with America" and called her the N word - twice.
The news segment immediately went viral - not because of what Kathy said, but because of the EPIC clapback that Sharon gave her. I thought it was pretty great that she spoke up for herself, but it made me sad to think that there are so many people in history and day-to-day life who don't have that luxury.

Growing up in a small East Texas town, I found out an early age just how racist it was. White boys called my black guy friends the N word all of the time (beginning in elementary school) and I can even remember the first time that I heard the word. I knew it had to be a bad word because of the way the white boys would say it and laugh, so I looked it up in the encyclopedia instead of asking my Mom about it. She was a school teacher and I just knew that if I asked her about it, she would drag me back to the school and demand to know from whom in the class I'd heard the word. I don't remember the exact wording in the encyclopedia, but I do remember the pictures that accompanied the word entry: black slaves.

As I grew older, I noticed that the N word became just another slang term that black people used amongst each other. When it was used this way, it didn't seem as harsh. By the time I got to college (undergraduate), it seemed that all black people said it. I never heard any white boys calling black guys this word like I did in elementary school, but I still didn't feel comfortable using the word. I've even heard some black people say that it's a term of endearment, but because I know the history of it's meaning, I disagree with that as well. All this to say, I don't think I will ever be ok with hearing black people use this word and I'm so happy that Sharon Reed called the viewer out for using it. If anything, that woman is exactly what's wrong with America today.