Madison, a very pretty blonde, asks, "Professor Jefferson, even though you initiated it, isn't our even having this conversation an insult to you personally?"
"What do you mean?" I ask, knowing full well what she means.
"Well, the use of the word
Nigger
," she says, her voice stressing the word, "is clearly offensive when said by a white person in the presence of a black person, regardless of the context."
I smile, attempting to distance myself from the word. "I don't enjoy hearing the word used, even by my fellow blacks, or the way black stand-up comedians like Chris Rock and Eddie Murphy use it so liberally for laughs, but in a classroom discussion like this, the word takes on a different context. One where hopefully the word can distance itself from the negative connotations it's historically symbolized. Today we're not
calling
anyone a nigger, we're discussing the connotations and the etymology of the word."
I notice an odd smile cross her face, one that I can't read. My reply to her question seems again to lighten the tension in the room, and the conversation becomes freer and less halting. For the remainder of the period the discussion continues with more students responding, and one more student actually using the word itself. Most continue to call it the N word and even then they look down, avoiding eye contact with me when they refer directly to the taboo word.
The conversation evolves into clothing and fashion and I point out, "There are two polar opposites of appearance and the impact it has on black image. For one, I dress a certain way to create a persona that will be taken with respect. A respect that is much harder for me to earn than if I were the same age, similarly educated, but white. On the other hand, the rap culture, gangsta rap and the glamorization of thugs, pimps and hoes to the cultural mainstream, manifests another image. In reality the vulgarization of popular culture, and the sexual objectification and degradation of females, goes back through the history of blues, rock and roll, and R&B."
After a few more minutes of frank discussion, as students debate who is to blame for today's excessive sexuality, Madison asks another question. "Professor Jefferson, is that why you always dress so properly? To appear more like you're white?"
That surprises me, but I've thought about this and I explain. "Not to appear whiter, but to be seen as an equal to whites. How one dresses defines, at least in some respects, who one is."
Madison reflects on this briefly before saying, "So how does what I wear define who I am?"
I pause, knowing some of my potential answers could be very judgemental. "Well, as young adults, you tend to dress casually, because in this school that's the norm, and you'll be less likely to be judged."
"But you're judging me right now," she points out.
"TouchΓ©," I reply, "but only because you asked the question. The point I'm attempting to make isn't about you personally, but that how you dress as a reasonably typical student is part of your culture. Students in general dress casually at school because that's the norm, yet those same students will dress much more provocatively when they go out to a party."
"Fair enough," Madison agrees, before adding, "but the stereotype you just created isn't based on race."
"True," I conclude, "but the end result is that, even as an accepted member of this faculty, I feel that as one of the very few black professors at this college, it's important for me to dress the part."
"Even though your husband doesn't?"
I look up, as does my class, not knowing who said that, except it was a male. I explain, not fond of the way this conversation has begun focussing on me personally, "Well first of all he's my ex-husband, but we won't go into the details of that. Secondly, you have just helped me make my point. As a white professor, and a male, Professor Hamilton doesn't need to earn respect the same way I feel that I do. I know that may sound sexist and racist, which is how it might be taken, but I'm trying to be totally honest with you."
"But Conner doesn't try to make a statement, he just is who he is," the same voice explains, and now I can see who he is. I recognize him as a player on our basketball team, a team my ex assistant coaches. I'm immediately envious of the first-name familiarity this student has with my ex. I try to brush the jealousy away, but my hatred for my ex nevertheless bubbles just below the surface.
With only a few minutes left, I hear Emily arguing with Madison. I ask, "And what seems to be the problem?"
"My sister won't even utter the word Nigger, even after the conversation we've just been having," Madison explains, revealing a new piece of information to me. Although they both have the same name, their very different demeanors had me assuming they were cousins at the closest.
Emily, her voice slightly shaky, "It's not that I'm incapable of saying the word. It's that I refuse to say it. The word is offensive to many people, and thus I won't say it... not ever."
Madison, glaring at her sister, her tone now angry, threatens, "We'll see about that."
I smile at Emily's stubborn morality; I respect it. She understands who she is and isn't giving ground even when being pressed by her clearly dominant sister. "Of course," I explain, "racism is much bigger than just the use or non-use of a word. I've met many people who demonstrate racism towards the black race or toward any race for that matter, even though they never use that word. The word, like many others, has evolved into a derogatory term, and it's my guess that stigma will never change, even centuries from now."
"Exactly," Emily agrees, glaring back at her sister.
Madison adds, "So if I say Nigger I'm racist, and if I don't say Nigger, I may still be racist."
She's now liberally using the word Nigger, and I try to get a grip on the conversation. "No, that isn't the message I was trying to get across. I was simply implying that the exercise of racism is much wider than whether a person uses such a derogatory word or not. The high incidence of white policemen shooting and killing unarmed black men and boys is patently racist, just to give one example."
Emily, now on a roll, as if she's trying to stand apart from her overbearing sister, continues, "Plus, I like the way you dress, Professor Jefferson. I don't see it as being about race, but rather about respect and authority. You command our respect in part by how you dress. When professors come to class wearing shorts and flip-flops, I have a hard time taking them seriously. All I do is wonder why I'm paying four hundred bucks to take a class with someone who doesn't take their job seriously."
Madison, her face getting redder, clearly not accustomed to being contradicted by her sister, says, "So Professor Jefferson is a better teacher than Mr. Hamilton because she dresses better?"
"Yes," Emily confidently says. "And that's regardless of which of them may be smarter or better educated. If I don't feel a professor is worth listening to, I won't learn as much from them."
"So you stand against using the word Nigger because it's racist, but you have no problem judging a qualified professor based on his dress? How hypocritical."
I break into the sisterly disagreement. "I think we're getting off topic. And I definitely don't want to get into a conversation about the quality of our professors based on clothing. Regardless of our disagreements, I have no doubts about Professor Hamilton's competence."
Madison, ignoring my attempt at closure, pushes the envelope some more, "If Professor Jefferson weren't here, and there weren't any African American students in the room, I'm confident that many people who're here right now would have no problem using the word Nigger. Some would even use it in a blatantly racist way."
"I wouldn't," Emily counters.
Madison keeps going, her words dripping condescending superiority, "Oh I know
you
wouldn't. But I know that many in here would. I've heard the word used hundreds of times in my life."
Looking at the clock, I decide the point has been made and I wrap up the discussion. "Our time is almost up. I hope you understand the primary point of this lesson. Every one of us comes from different pasts, from different histories, and our pasts and histories have helped us develop our values and beliefs. And as we move forward in this course, you'll all need to be able to be aware of your personal values while respecting those of others. It's a given that the word Nigger will always be offensive when it's used in a derogatory context. But it's only through respectful discussion that we can ever move forward."
I dismiss the class and watch as Madison and Emily leave, arguing all the way up the stairs. I consider intervening, but it isn't my place. This may be my classroom, but their lives are their own.
When I look back now and try to pinpoint when my fall began, it always comes back to this lesson. I didn't know it at the time, but from this moment on, Madison's respect for me had dwindled. Going forward, she always looked at me smugly, and I always felt like she was assessing me in a way I couldn't explain at all.
Oddly on occasion, Madison would pop up in my dreams. I never remembered them completely, I never do remember much about my dreams, but I did retain the memory of her always being in control, always smiling smugly, and always flaunting her superiority over me. Looking back now, clearly this was my subconscious warning me of what was to come... but I missed it completely until it was far too late.
amiH
2. A SHORT HISTORY OF MYSELF
To tell my story, my unbelievable story, my fall from grace, my complete and utter humiliation, my loss of dignity and... paradoxically... my ultimate complete sexual satisfaction, I must inform you about who I am as a person.