Teacher defends using N-word: 'I'm getting slandered'

A Florida high school teacher who was caught saying the N-word has fired back at his critics. The 56-year-old English teacher was caught in a 12-second video lecturing two Black students on the use of the N-word. The video went viral, prompting an unidentified member of the public to bring attention to the episode at a school board meeting. The incident was also brought to the attention of the president of the local chapter of the NAACP. she called for the teacher to be removed. In a statement to a local news station, the teacher apologized for what he said but argued that his message had also been misconstrued. the teacher wrote, "I detest the N-word more than any other word in the English language". “I’m getting slandered on the internet, you know, being accused of being racist, but I’m far from being racist. And that’s unfair". The teacher also claimed that his generation had a better understanding of the weight the N-word carries, citing the civil rights movement. Essence magazine accused him of “whitesplaining” when to properly use the N-word. He responded, “If I can’t say a word because I happen to be white … well, isn’t that reverse racism”