Basein off what dave was saying, the n-word, Latin roots, Spanish meaning color black,

There were no “niggers” before slavery. Slavery kinda twisted it, created the ugly word.
Before slavery, it was a neutral term, a term to identify a per son of sub-Sahara African descent

As we started to roll in to slavery.

Used by white and non-blacks, the N-word had been used as a weapon to exact psychological and emotional damage, kinda a deathblow to the self-respect, dignity and humanity of Africa and her Diaspora. The neutral ness of the term still stuck with blacks.

By end of slavery, post slavery, the use of the N-word started to soften up alittle, as time progress it was see by all races as a derogatory word.

the Civil Rights and Black power eras, It was necessary to transform Blackness into a source of pride and strength in order to strive for truth, justice and peace. This required the nullification and condemnation of the N-word

Picture:

The negative portrayals of blacks were both reflected in and shaped by everyday material objects: toys, postcards, ashtrays, detergent boxes, fishing lures, children's books.

This word has grown from a word of hurt and shame, to a word that is celebrated within popular culture. today the word nigger has been turned into the word nigga. Nigga is used in popular culture today as a term to identify friendships, or as a term to simply identify another person.

It was a part of how myself and my peers demonstrated verbally that we were friends. Younger generations of blacks often defend the usage of the word, and older African Americans can’t seem to understand why younger people want to use it.