Vershawn Young delivered a thought-provoking presentation on race-related issues to students and faculty at FMU in Thomason Auditorium located inside the Lee Nursing Building (LNB) on March 7.
Young is a writer and performance artist specializing in African American studies, particularly in language, literature, masculinity and performance.
During his presentation, Young explored the differences between Black and White English and the use of the N-word along with the effects of its censorship. Throughout his presentation, Young referenced works by esteemed authors such as Geneva Smitherman, Harriet Wilson and Toni Morrison which provided a rich and informative discussion of these complex issues.
The opening of the presentation featured a brief film showcasing a literary performance by three students centered around the book “Our Nig” by Harriet Wilson. Despite none of the students being African American, they approached the material with respect and refrained from both exaggerating and downplaying its content.
Young emphasized that Black language and culture are integral parts of academic life and should not be replaced with another.
“The message is that Black language and culture is a full part of academic life and shouldn’t be segregated out or switched with another culture,” Young said. “It should be fully integrated into schools.”
The presentation also discussed the appropriateness of using the “N-word.” According to Young, while his Black students are allowed to use it, his non-Black students should not use it.
“My Black students may use the word in the discussion if they like, like me,” Young said. “And if they belong to cultures that embrace the multi-various positive cultural meanings of the word. Again, the choice is theirs. Non-Blacks and Whites especially may not causally use the word.”
When Young finished his presentation, he was met with applause and questions from the audience asking for his advice. One of them was on what they should do if someone asks for an “N-word pass.”
“Even if passes are given, they should be declined,” Young said. “The requests for passes should not be made. And that places a responsibility on the people who are allowed to give the passes.”
Attendees of the lecture felt well-informed after listening to Young and were glad they went.
“Really, my teacher was just like come out and get some extra credit,” Catherine Kofi, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering said. “After coming, I felt very, I don’t know, enlightened on some things. And yeah, it was a great experience.”
Another attendee expressed how they came to learn more about the N-word from a Black person.
“I came here because I thought it was interesting because I, as a mixed person, was interested in the perspective of the ‘N-word’ from a Black person,” Aaliyah Curry, a junior graphic design major, said. “And I kind of wanted to know more about the cultural and historical aspect of it, and I feel like this lecture really did a good job of doing that as well as doing it as a sensitive subject to some but like bringing out the hard truth of all of it.”
For more information on Young, you can visit his website. For upcoming performances at FMU, one can visit the official FMU website to see the posted events.