African Americans have reclaimed the n-word. We took a slur that systematically oppressed our people and turned the phrase in to something that expresses our resilience, solidarity, and endearment towards one another. For many of us, the word holds a sense of empowerment.

Yet even today I hear non-black people throwing around the word as easily as "like" or "and," completely dismissing its significance in the black community. So I'm finally addressing it: you can't say the word and here is why.

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