About 200 people gathered in eastern North Carolina on Thursday to bury a racial slur they say has no place in today’s culture and language.
MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. -- About 200 people gathered in eastern North Carolina on Thursday to bury a racial slur they say has no place in today’s culture and language. Members of Mount Olive College's student-athlete advisory council organized a communitywide funeral to put the “N” word to rest.
The funeral was complete with a casket and a choir, but people weren’t paying their respects, they were hoping to kill a word they say is cruel and shouldn’t belong in popular culture.
“This can no longer be tolerated,” explained eulogist Dwayne Ballen.
Attendees also weren’t mourning, they were celebrating the “N” word’s symbolic death. A word that was once used to demean black people and black culture, the word now has meaning to the new generation of young people.
“Listening to rap music, I hear it on a constant basis and I've used it as a term of endearment,” explained Chris Holloway, a junior at Mount Olive College.
“[I used it as] just a word to greet somebody,” added seventh grader Jaquawn Barden.
But during the funeral, students learned the history of the word and the pain that it caused so many people not too long ago.
“The word was used to justify ripping a mother and father from their kids, was used to justify rape, was used to justify all manner of horrors,” Ballen said.
“Young people may think it's OK, but we didn't live then when it was bad,” said Samantha Mitchell, the president of the student-athlete advisory committee.
At the end of the service, students took time to write down why they think people should stop using the word. Then they dropped those pieces of paper into the casket, officially burying the racial slur.
“It does offend people and it is a big deal,” Mitchell added.
“The word is so negative, has such harsh meaning, it shouldn't be used,” Holloway said, who no longer uses the word.
But people here know the "N" word has become so popular, it will take more than just one funeral to bury it for good. They hope Thursday’s funeral will inspire other schools, churches, and community groups to also bury the racial slur and teach others of the word’s historic origin and meaning.