Letters

The N-Word

How It's Used

"A witness in the trial of a white man charged with assault as a hate crime testified yesterday in State Supreme Court that the epithet, the ‘n’ word, that the defendant is charged with using has lost its racist sting and become a colloquialism.  The defendant, Nicholas Minucci, 19, is charged with beating Glenn Moore, 23, a black man, on June 29, 2005, in Howard Beach.  The witness, G. Alexander Jenkins, an entertainment lawyer and music producer, said the word’s use in hip-hop lyrics has changed it into an identification and a form of greeting that transcends racial lines.”

"In fact, there has been an ongoing 'conversation' in the black community and beyond, about black people's use of the N-word among themselves, and in rap music. It's been a staple topic in the media, in call-in radio shows and on panels for several years. But at times it has been hard to glean much purpose in this conversation."

Links