Despite the negative connotation it has carried for centuries, the word "nigger" has become part of everyday language for many black Americans, Jarrod Dortch said Friday at the Multicultural Center.
"It has become like any other word," he said. "There are some African Americans who don't even know the history or the power of the word."
Dortch, a graduate assistant for the Department of Communication Studies, facilitated the Multicultural Center's second Brown Bag discussion of the year. More than 50 students and faculty members attended the series, titled "Negro, Nigger, Nigga: What's in a Name."
The series allowed the Ball State community to openly discuss the origin, meanings and uses of one of society's most offensive words.
Dortch said as the word "nigger" becomes more popular in today's society, especially in rap music, many are questioning whether people of any race can now say the word without seeming offensive.
"If (blacks) use it, (everyone else is) eventually going to want to use it too," Dortch said.
Graduate student Aliguma Young said even as the general public becomes more comfortable with the word "nigger," many people are still not aware of the word's underlying meaning.
They simply do not know its history, she said.
"Right now, 'nigger' doesn't have that connotation of power as it did in the 1960s and 1970s," Young said.
Dortch said the word "nigger" can be traced back to the Latin term "niger," meaning "black."-á According to an old Webster dictionary, "nigger" means dirty, fallen, dark or ignorant, he said.
The term first developed a negative connotation in the 1800s, Dortch said. Throughout history, old nursery rhymes and poems even used the term to discriminate against blacks, he said.
Graduate student Crystal Lane Swift said continuing to use the word "nigger" in modern America is disadvantageous in that it promotes racial division in today's society.
"It simply perpetuates the idea of inequality," Swift said.
Dortch said the term "nigger" is currently such a strong epithet that it has become the basis of other nicknames including "sam nigger," which often discriminates against people of Arab descent. The word is so powerful that even the federal court system still deems it a fighting word, he said.
People need to think about what they are saying before they use the word, Dortch said.
"According to the law, the word is still a malicious foul," he said. "People need to remember this as they try to give the term 'nigger' different connotations and meanings in today's society."
Sophomore Josh Curtis said he enjoyed listening to Dortch's perspectives Friday and was glad he was able to attend the Brown Bag Series.
The topic was worth discussing because it spawned different points of view, he said.
"It educated people on an important word," Curtis said. "The history of the word (nigger) is very misconstrued, and it's something people need to know more about."
Fisher said having students of all races participate in Friday's series helped to enrich the discussion by adding a significant level of diversity.
Fisher said she was pleased with the turnout and hopes more students attend future Brown Bag series.
"I've never seen the center so full," Fisher said. "I'm glad this particular series opened students' eyes to what we do at the Multicultural Center. It let them know that we are open to all issues and all ideas."
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