An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States

n****r lover or any variation. Although, given the rampant nature of
antiblackness, it’s hard to know if people are offended because they have
been called something racist or simply that it is perhaps the most offensive
word in the English language, and so they have been associated with Black
people, something that all minorities know not to want to associate with
outside of hip-hop. Both the R-word and the N-word are steeped in white
supremacy. Arguably, Black folks have more sway in the public sphere in
getting attention on issues (owing to the growing sympathies of white
people?), and therefore, by comparing the two, Indigenous people could
gain more needed exposure. The R-word is racist, demeaning, and, as far as
I can tell, Indigenous people generally don’t use it as a term of endearment.
However, the missing part of the analysis is that, while both are steeped in
white supremacy, the N-word is slightly more complicated.
This leads me to ask several questions: Why compare the N-word and R-
word? Should we compare them? Who benefits? Do Black and Indigenous
people equally benefit from the conversation? At this juncture, I would say
yes and no. In addition to Indigenous peoples’ long-standing activism and
research, the Washington Football Team’s decision to remove their racist
image and nickname could be attributed to the pressure from the Movement
for Black Lives and corporations like Bank of America, FedEx, Nike, and
Pepsi. 27 However, the discursive history of the comparison should shed
some light on the limits of discursive forms of solidarity.
To highlight the indirect impact that raising awareness about the N-word
has had on efforts targeting the R-word is not at all to discount the dogged
advocacy of Indigenous peoples. They have long fought for respect and an
end to racist imagery through #ChangetheName campaigns and highly
visible court cases. In addition, John and Kenn Little made More Than a
Word, a fantastic documentary released in 2017, on the history of the R-
word. Indigenous peoples have some platforms through which to share their
voices on issues such as language, including social media. Again, if we take
seriously discursive solidarity, we have to consider how Black folks benefit
or do not benefit from the comparison.
Another controversial term is “savage.” Everybody is a “savage” these
days, or something they do is labeled “savage.” Damn, things done
changed! I don’t remember when I first heard the word used this way. I hear
“savage” from a lot of young Black people in person and on social media,
and it usually refers to someone doing something fearless, beyond belief,