The James Logan Courier

By Alonyia Godfrey, Courier Staff Writer

From slave days to the modern days of hip-hop and the Hyphy Movement, the N-word has brought about controversy in regards to its use. Oftentimes, these debates have boiled down to whether or not a change in definition or purpose truly changes the meaning of a word?

Some believe that no matter how the word is altered, its meaning will always be the same. “It’s derogatory to my people and my culture. I don’t think anyone should use it,” said senior Breanna Coleman.

From wikipedia:
Gloria Jean Watkins (born September 25, 1952), better known by her pen name bell hooks, is an American author, feminist, and social activist. Her writing has focused on the interconnectivity of race, class, and gender and their ability to produce and perpetuate systems of oppression and domination. She has published over thirty books and numerous scholarly and mainstream articles, appeared in several documentary films and participated in various public lectures. Primarily through a postmodern perspective, hooks has addressed race, class, and gender in education, art, history, sexuality, mass media and feminism.

Read "Postmodern Blackness" by bell hooks, free from the University of Pennsylvania African Studies Center.