"It's Part of the History": The Harm of Saying the N-Word in Academic Spaces - Week Five

     Throughout elementary and middle school, no matter what swear words kids began to learn and create, the N-word was always off-limits. It seemed like an unspoken rule that that was a line that we were not allowed to cross, no matter what our race. It was a word that made our tummies twist and body ache and we avoided hearing it, let alone saying it, at all costs. That was, at least, until my eighth-grade English class. 

    Central Academy is a school within the Des Moines Public Schools district for higher learning, with kids deemed gifted and talented bussed in from across the city to learn in an environment made to support them as unique learners. However, it became very clear that the students that the program was meant to support were white, and Black and Brown kids were left feeling isolated and unrepresented in their classrooms. But quickly into the year, English teachers began to make promises of a book about equality and heroism that would make all of those feelings of isolation disappear - To Kill a Mockingbird.

    In my class, it was not only allowed but encouraged, that students say the word when reading the book allowed as a class. Due to its "historical significance", and the idea that it was okay to write it back then, teachers thought that allowing students to say the word, would take away its negative connotation and significance and thus the harm it had in society. However, it is not the job of white educators to make the decisions as to what words should and should not have a stigma around them when it comes to race. 

    In the last five years, schools have begun to throw out Harper Lee's classic in favor of more modern, and representative books written by authors of color. By avoiding the White Savior stereotype in many white-written books about race, schools were able to show students of color heroes that actually looked like them. Instead of only seeing themselves in literature as oppressed or helpless, BIPOC students were able to see themselves in everyday characters that look like them, in a positive light. However, it is important to dig into the culture that surrounded To Kill a Mockingbird and the normalcy that was created around letting children use the N-word for "academic purposes".

    Essien of Book Riot in 2020 in their piece "The N-Word: Confronting Racial Slurs in Literature", highlights the importance of literature classes teaching the importance and significance of the word by banning it completely. By only allowing students to say "the N-word" (literally), students understand the damage and the impact that the word has on their peers. In the scenario presented in the article, the only person allowed to use the word when reading classical literature is the teacher herself, who is a Black woman. No students, regardless of race, can use the word, and using the word can risk expulsion. By deeming the usage of the word a hate crime, schools are educators are better educating their white students, and protecting their students of color from feeling unsafe. Trauma is not necessary to create strong, smart, critically thinking children, and educators should not be deciding whether or not trauma is "necessary".

https://bookriot.com/racial-slurs-in-literature/