Race is a very important social force that should be a force of pride for people but can and will be used in a very negative way in some situations. Race is a very powerful thing for African Americans but can be used in a derogatory way like in "The Meaning of a Word." The author says "But I didn't hear it until it was said by a small pair of lips that had already learned it could be used to humiliate me" (Naylor 267). Although she heard it growing up in black culture it is used in a way that blacks can be proud of. But the second they leave their neighborhood it is completely reversed and used as a derogatory way. They end up with nigger as what defines them and not whether they are nice, mean, happy, sad, or smart. In some situations even grown ups act like a 3rd grader. In "The Middle Class Black's Burden," it talks about a specific problem about being a middle class black in one quote the author says "I am burdened daily with showing whites, blacks are people also" (McClain 53). At this workplace, and many all over the country, whites think they have nothing in common with blacks besides the fact that they work at the same office. So blacks are burdened with starting small talk with whites that would perfectly normal if it was white to white or black to black. But instantly becomes awkward when its black to white. It could be something as simple as How are your kids doing? or Did you watch the football game last night? In some situations they may even said to be stripped of their race like when the author says "We are told we have sold out. We are Oreo's they say, black on the outside, white inside  (McClain 52) in "The Middle Class Black's Burden . Black are used to being lower class struggling to get by so when a black gets promoted and are in the middle class they are said to forgotten their culture. So they don't fit in with the blacks and all whites see are the color of their skin, black and so they don't fit in an