Thanks alto. I really struggled with whether or not to use the word or not, but the thing is the word gets used. It was said to me as a kid growing up. Ultimately, I felt soft-soaping the language would soften the reader’s experience of the story.

Casual, ever present racism exists in the daily lives of many people. I grew up in the most ethnically diverse county in the US and it was full of racism.

Thanks for supporting a tough piece.