Richard Pryor’s daughter Elizabeth is a scholar of the N-word

Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor, a history professor and daughter of legendary comedian Richard Pryor, examines the complex legacy of the N-word in her memoir, *Something We Said*. The discussion centers on the tension between the word’s history as a tool of racial oppression and its subversive use in Black protest and comedy. Pryor reflects on her father’s evolution, noting his eventual decision to stop using the slur after a transformative trip to Kenya, and contrasts this with her own academic research. The conversation also explores the personal challenges of growing up as the child of a famous, vulnerable figure, the lasting impact of her mother using the slur during a heated argument, and the broader societal shift in how the term is navigated in modern discourse.