Hello Scott. As a black person I was a little on the fence with this a my first reaction. On one side, I do think historical context is important but on the other hand, other black people would say it’s completely inappropriate because of the imaginative aspect of short stories. Most black people would say it’s inappropriate because of the scope of imagination short stories have. Most black people would say not to write it at all because you can simply think of another short story in which you don’t have to use the N word. I think it’s extremely important to ask a black person or black author their thoughts before using that word, with all do respect.