(I'm white and American.) My understanding is that Black people have taken a word that was used against them and "reclaimed" it. What used to be a white person'

(I'm white and American.) My understanding is that Black people have taken a word that was used against them and "reclaimed" it. What used to be a white person's word is now a Black person's word. That's very powerful. That's not to say of course that all Black people agree that it's acceptable for them to use it. But I believe that's the thinking for those who do. It's similar, with important differences, to the word "queer," which used to be an insult until the LGBT community (disclosure: of which I'm a part) reclaimed it. The major difference, of course, is that straight people can say queer, while white people can't say... well, you know. And of course the story of oppression of Black people is unparalleled in this country. As oppressed as LGBT people have been, we were never shipped over the seas and enslaved.