I hear this word more and more as time goes on — a word I was taught to never use, or I would have been grounded for the rest of my life.

In a Nov. 10 incident in Rohnert Park, at a bowling alley, 20 black students were called “n—–r” by white men. People are shocked and appalled by this. Am I? No, as a black American it doesn’t shock me one bit. It’s an everyday thing. It just proves that racism is not over in the U.S. This word has become part of the everyday English language.

According to the nonprofit educational resource African American Registry, the word n—-r dates back to the 1800s and comes from the Latin word “niger,” which means black and has devolved into a derogatory term.

The word “nigga” is more of an informal term derived from the original word. I hear a lot of teenagers use this word. I’ve also heard them use n—-r in conversations as well. It’s sad; my friends have used it once or twice around me. Did I say anything to them? Not really. I gave them a weird look, though I probably should have voiced my displeasure.

The word is used as “friend” these days, and hip-hop and rap music have plagued the airways with this vile word.

I hear Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj and Kanye West use it in their raps. I don’t understand why they use it. They’re black, and it’s offensive to their own race.

I’m against the word. I have never used as a greeting. It’s atrocious to use such a word that has caused and continues to cause pain to African Americans.

I was at the store one day and a guy came up to me and said, “What’s up n—-r?” I was young and didn’t know what to think.

Right now I realized the word has definitely hurt me. I’ve always put aside how I really felt until recently.

I think it hurts because I’ve had family and friends use that word around me in everyday conversations — not toward me — but I wonder if they’ve been educated on the word and its meaning. I think it’s wrong, and that we should teach people that it’s offensive and a racial slur.

We shouldn’t use it. It’s like calling Italians “W-p and women “c–ts.”

There are so many other words we can use, like “bro” or “dude,” that don’t have a negative history. For heaven’s sake, what about using their name?

We need to teach people that words really do hurt.

When I hear the word, I will tell people how offensive it is and do my part to make people better aware of the words they choose