After watching this commentary on Secular Talk about the n-word, during which a very good point was made about context and how critical context is, I was reminded of a question my father asked me not too long ago. He said, “Why do you use the word ‘comrade’ instead of the word ‘brother’? He was, of course, speaking of how I refer to my cohorts. Excellent question – one whose answer I think deserves some expansion.

It is context – in this case, sociopolitical context – that gives significance to these terms. The word brother, used as my father meant it, speaks to a specific gender of a specific race: our fellow Black males. And there are definitely plenty of beautiful situations where ‘brother’ [or ‘brutha’] applies perfectly. This coincidentally is an appropriate context to interchange the word ‘nigga’.

However, my use of the word ‘comrade’ speaks to another aspect of the human experience – that is one of class struggle. By that I mean the distinction between the working class [those of us who must sell our labor for wages] and the ruling class [bankers, politicians, senior military, etc]. And the aggression of one against the other. I invoke the term comrade in reference to someone who is aware of this dynamic and who has the same economic and political interests as I do.

Given that it's gender-neutral, colorblind and indicative of the class struggle; 'comrade' applies to a wide scope of the population: those of us who find ourselves on the same side of this chessboard, regardless of race, gender, sexuality or religion. Comrade is essentially a linguistic weapon that serves to bridge the divisions that impede working-class solidarity.

As our minds absorb more and more information, as our perspectives evolve, as our thoughts continue to develop – we should embrace the reflection in our vernacular. As demonstrated so beautifully here. Also illustrated is the import of influence – not only that of the Soviets and that of the Panthers but also that – of my brother, my comrade KBJ, who encouraged me to weaponize my vocabulary when he rephrased an ancient jewel . . .