Skip to main content
Back to Show
PBS News Hour

How the n-word became the 'atomic bomb of racial slurs'

Its effect can be explosive and painful: Harvard University professor Randall Kennedy has traced the history of the n-word to understand the evolution of the infamous racial slur. Kennedy joins special correspondent Charlayne Hunter-Gault to discuss this history, including reappropriations of the word and the complexities and damages of its usage today.

Support Provided By
Season
December 3, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
57:46
December 3, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
December 2, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
57:46
December 2, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
December 1, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
57:46
December 1, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
November 30, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
24:09
November 30, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
November 29, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
24:09
November 29, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
November 28, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
57:46
November 28, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
August 31, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
26:45
August 31, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
April 5, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
26:45
April 5, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
January 12, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
26:44
January 12, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
January 11, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
26:45
January 11, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
June 24, 2024 - PBS NewsHour full episode
57:46
Israel's Prime Minister says the intense phase of the war in Gaza will end soon as Israel and the U.S. argue over weapons deliveries.
June 3, 2024 - PBS NewsHour full episode
57:46
After Claudia Sheinbaum becomes the first woman to win Mexico's presidential election, a look at what that means for U.S. relations.
Active loading indicator