Westchester County lawmakers voted Monday to eliminate use of the ?n? word.

Legislators passed the resolution, which is meant to make use of the word obsolete in the county. County Legislator Clinton Young (D-Mount Vernon) says the unanimous passing of his resolution to symbolically ban use of the ?n? word is an important step in educating people about the history of the word, dating back to slavery.

Several incidents throughout Westchester and the Hudson Valley prompted lawmakers to take action. The most recent event occurred in January after a Ramapo freshman center basketball game at Suffern High School. Team members entered the locker room and found the ?n? word scrawled on a chalkboard with figures depicting a lynching. Young says enforcing a ban on the word will come down to education in schools.

Meanwhile, students at Ossining High School kicked off a campaign Saturday to ban the ?n? word. The students plan to circulate a petition throughout the school and present a proposal to the Board of Education that would stop students of all races from using the word.