Ten years ago or so, a student of mine was blindsided by the “N-word,” and so was I. I had just uttered this troublesome word in my Introduction to Sociology class at Baltimore City Community College, a college with a student body that was and is predominantly African-American. You might assume I should have known better, considering I had taught there for more than three decades.
In my Intro Soc classes, I deliberately integrate race into the course early and often, and as seamlessly as possible. I do this for a reason. The Intro Soc text I used ghettoized any mention of race, in that the author discussed it in chapters on inequality and race/ethnicity but rarely elsewhere. For instance, I addressed race in the chapter on scientific research, and the role it plays in what gets studied, how it’s studied, and findings. I discussed it in the chapter on deviance, and how race ties in with what is considered a norm in society and how race factors in with who gets defined as deviant.
On this occasion, I was talking about socialization, another chapter devoid of any mention of race. So I assigned an excerpt from a book that I read at Colgate University, a classic that has had a lifelong impact on the way I think and behave with regard to race. The book, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, by Alex Haley and Malcolm X, came out in 1965.
The piece I asked my students to read discusses Malcolm X’s experiences as a youth at a reform school in Michigan, a pivotal time in his life. Malcolm X recalls what it means to be Black in our country. One of the top students in his class, Malcolm X found himself talking with his English teacher, Mr. Ostrowski, one day after class.
After introducing the book, I read this quote from his autobiography.
He (Mr. Ostrowski) told me “Malcolm, you ought to be thinking about a career. Have you been giving it thought?”
Malcolm replied, “I’ve been thinking I’d like to be a lawyer.”
Mr. Ostrowski looked surprised, I remember, and leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head. He kind of half-smiled and said, “Malcolm, one of life’s first needs is for us to be realistic. Don’t misunderstand me, now, We all here like you, you know that. But you’ve got to be realistic about being a nigger. A lawyer – that’s no realistic goal for a nigger. You need to think about something you can be.”
After I read this passage, my students and I discussed its relevance today.
A few days after this class, one of my African-American students came to see me in my office. He sat down and got right to the point – I was a racist. Needless to say my immediate reaction was shock. I didn’t know where this was coming from so I asked, “Why do you think I’m a racist?” His answer was terse and simple, “You used the word nigger in class.“ At that point, it began to make sense. I explained that I was using Malcolm X’s own words and quoting directly from a book that I had asked the class to read.
We went on and on for some time. But it didn’t seem to matter. My student seemed convinced. Also, it was pretty early in the semester so he didn’t really know me all that well.
What I found out that day was that as a White person, I should never use the N-word in any setting for whatever reason. Context doesn’t matter; the N-word is so powerful it can and often does obliterate context. All my student processed was the N-word coming out of the mouth of a White guy, nothing else. That experience taught me there’s so much emotion, pain, and history attached to this word that it’s just not worth the risk. Ever.
Links to more from Dr. Bucher:
Buy A MOMMY, A DADDY, TWO SISTERS AND A JIMMY: AUTISM AND THE DIFFERENCE IT MAKES at Amazon.com