What’s In A Name?

What’s in a Name? Well plenty, since this is the new form of job discrimination, along with credit checks, that employers are using to keep our more than qualified offspring from having a future at their company. We all say that we want to provide our children with a better life than we had, all the opportunities they need to be successful in life, all the tools, all the hopes, and yet we curse them with a title that limits their success unless they plan on being strippers, porn stars, rappers, hookers, etc. A young lady I know recently had a child. So she pondered the many illuminous, illustrious names to choose from. She thought long and hard, created numerous beads of sweat on her head, went into labor and after several epidural shots she came of with the greatest name ever: *in a ghetto tone* "Ameretto Alize Brown! That’s hot! That’s it right thurr!" Well that prepares her for her future as an A.A. adviser or participant.
So what is truly in a name? Have names like Akbar, Mustafa, Kareem, become to hard to spell and pronounce? No, but they are putting a bullseye on the backs our people. Are we really trying to make our children so unique (no that is a not a sign for a name), that we make them as common as most Blacks, African Americans, Negroes etc...? As much as we try to deny it, this stereotypes our children who already have several strikes against them. When an employer looks at resumes you better believe that names are the first way of filtering out those who they do not want in their company. It’s the easiest form of job discrimination that is the hardest to prove. Now some of us believe that names should not be a determining factor in our child’s future, but we must realize the society in which we are living. Racism is more hidden now, yet rapidly becoming more prevelant, especially in today’s election between Obama and Hilary.
We are providing them with more ammo to keep our children out of work and in poverty. Is it really necessary to name your child after your favorite car, food, alcohol, a movie character, and expect them to be unique? Kind of defeats the purpose. We are limiting their success. I am for keeping what’s left of our heritage, our roots, our ancestory, but we can hold onto all of that in other ways. Now some of you may say we have to keep some identity for ourselves. Well for the majority of us, our last names are just as white/american as would be the first names. Check your last name with one from Africa and see how close you come to a connection.
*history lesson* When slaves were brought over from Africa, they were given the last name of their slave masters. They were also stripped of their origin names and given a caucasian name. (I said your name’s gon’ be Toby boy!)
So unless we are already celebrities and have millions for our children to nest on, making it almost irrelevant if they get a good job, we need to choose better names and provide our children at least some leverage in getting a job. I was one for naming my child something "different" to establish their identity. Then I joined the workforce and saw how many employers are not hiring people named, Shawnquesha, Elexus, Chardonnay, Chamomile, Epiphany, or the infamous Clitoria, (yeah they did) you get the point. When a name like Shawn, Elaine, Charlene, would help them gain an advantage, or at least get an interview.
Let’s face it, not many of us are starting our own business, and if we did, the stereotype of dealing with black people, usually cause the business to fail, so we have to practice so we can be mvp’s in the game. Granted we may never own a team, or coach it, but we can be stars in it.
So what’s really in a name? Would a rose by any other name still smell as sweet? Well it all depends on what garden it was grown in. Give your child a chance, their identity will still shine through with what you instill in them.
This blog is dedicated to my girl, TaTa Talicious! Keep your head up!