A Tribute to the Children for Necessary Change
By:  Sam Saleem of the Peacemaker One Foundation

When youths of African descent are seen constantly using the “n” word, it’s because they do in public what many of us adults do in private.   By openly identifying with the “n” word, our children are revealing our primary problem.   Despite being the mothers and fathers of humanity, our primary problem is that the slave (or “n” word) legacy, with its inference that black is bad, evil, ugly, inferior, bestial or subhuman, has blinded us to the magnificence of our own identity and self-worth as a people.   When we look in the mirror, many of us are not comfortable with what we see or who we are.   So, even while some of us achieve great success, we all know, deep down inside, that real freedom is still missing.   And most of us are so busy struggling just to make ends meet and survive that we don’t recognize that the key to our survival is to know who we are.   We have overlooked the natural connection that flows from identity and thoughts to words and behavior.   All of our behavior is directly linked to what we think and feel about who we say we are.   The “n” word identity is false and shapes a consciousness and a pattern of behavior that are based on falseness.   Developing the will to let go of this false identity will help us reclaim our true African identity as the First People, and in turn, help us reprogram our minds to fix our other problems.

The lie of “white supremacy” cannot survive without the lie of “black inferiority.”   Every time we call ourselves the “n” word, we support both lies and help keep “white supremacy” alive. We passionately protest being treated like “n’s,” but many of us actually believe that’s what we are.   The reality of the plain truth is that as long as we think we’re “n’s,” not only are we going to be treated like “n’s,” but many of us are going to be acting like “n’s.”   Everyday in America, a person of African descent is treated insultingly by someone who has been conditioned to think that we are to be viewed as somewhat less than real human beings and deserve to be identified and treated as such.   That is the base message embedded in the “n” word that remains clear in the heart and soul of America, no matter what any of us say in defense of our claims that the word has been turned around.   Besides, where is the proof that we turned the word around?   Has our behavior towards each other been transformed to eliminate the negativity generated by the old meaning and reflect the positivity claimed in the new meaning?   To see the answer, we need to look at what happened to two of the greatest Hip Hop artists of all time who pushed the word the most.

Tupac Shakur (RIP), who redefined the “n” word as “Never ignorant getting goals accomplished,” and Biggie Smalls (RIP) identified themselves as real “n’s.”   To some brothers, being a real “n” means you’re one of the baddest or the craziest “n’s” on the block.   To maintain your rep, you do the things that real “n’s” do.   Biggie and Tupac got shot down in the prime of their lives by somebody who was probably just trying to prove that he was a real “n.”   Our hearts go out to all the families who have been victims of that kind of senseless, self-destructive behavior.  To achieve lasting unity to solve the problems we face, we must love and respect ourselves enough to let go of any version of a word designed to demonize our ancestors.   Further, our use of the word encourages others to make mockery of our history and the suffering we endured.   Instead of trying to turn around a term that’s loaded with poison, let’s just turn it loose.   In one of their last recordings, Tupac called on us to make a change in how we treat each other and Biggie reminded us that there is life after death.   We know that life has not been easy for our children, because the same pain they feel, we feel.   Now that the expressions of their truth have helped us to see the extent of our condition, surely, we must work together to make some necessary change.