Headnote to The “N” Word Essays

This past semester, my “African-American Literature” class included an unusually thoughtful and articulate group of students, and led to class discussions that were particularly sensitive and insightful, especially around difficult topics, such as hate speech and racial epithets. As such, I offered the students a paper assignment that invited them to read and respond to Emily Bernard’s essay, inviting them to reflect on their own experience with the “n-word” both in the classroom, and out in the world.