Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Open Editorial: You Named Your Baby WHAT???
Onyx Magazine ^ | March, 2006 | Josephine Hammond

Posted on 03/30/2006 12:41:35 PM PST by twippo

Someone needs to sit our people down and have a healthy discussion about the names we as African Americans are giving our children. We are hurting our kids and putting their futures in peril from the moment they are born.

That’s right, I said it. We are KILLING our kids and crippling their futures with the names we give them. Don’t you want your kids to get JOBS someday? Good jobs, and serious careers? With a name like Jaquez Ja’Quan Diante’, you’re dooming your sons to a life of drug dealing on some seedy street corner.

Our Black men face enough challenges. I do not subscribe to the notion that we are giving our children names that “convey pride in their African Heritage”. We’re way off the mark. I’ve got dear friends from all over Africa, and their children have beautiful cultural names like Akos, Ama, and Fia.

Notice how neither of those names had a “quita” in it? Or an “eisha”? Or more than four syllables? That’s because even in the motherland, they don’t give their kids the crazy names that we do in Black America. Many Africans even RESENT the implication that these names stem from their culture. I’ve yet to meet anyone from any African nation named Shaquandiniquah Takei’sha, or any other of the ‘colorful’ monikers we’re pinning on brand new precious lives.

Parents, we are stacking the odds against our children from birth. We’ve been doing it for generations, but we get mighty cross when white and mainstream America laughs and mocks us. With a name like Quieshianiquita (I know, I can’t pronounce it either), you’re dooming your children to employment at no better than a dollar store or the nearest fast-food joint.

You are automatically relegated in the minds of many to second-class citizenry, because when they hear the name, they instantly categorize you as ignorant, ghetto, incompetent, uneducated, and not worthy of much respect or basic human considerations.

We hear so often about African American students who excel in school, etc. and “beat the odds.” Well, guess what? Often times, the “odds they have to beat” is the tough challenge of being taken seriously in America with the atrocious name you gave them...names like Jaqui’sheia Sha’qu’an Tai’isha. If they can get someone to look past the name (and quit laughing), there is remarkable talent there in that person.

Unfortunately though, much of mainstream America isn’t willing to find this out. Come in with the wrong name, and you are nothing more than fodder for stereotypical, distasteful jokes. We as African Americans face enough challenges as it is. Our kids deserve a better start and a way better shot than this.

You’re angry with me? I can live with that. Now answer this: when have you ever seen an IBM Executive or a fancy New York office with a fancy highrise office door nameplate that says “Quandaniquah Roshel-Shaquita, Chief Executive Officer”? When? You don’t, and you never have, because the reality is, corporate America and a huge chuck of mainstream doesn’t have a high regard for those names. Quite frankly, you won’t be taken seriously.

I’ve been behind many a closed door with white corporate America. Oddly enough, many of them still see the Negro in the room as ‘non-existent’ or invisible, so they talked like I wasn’t even in the room. I hear everything they say. When Nakia Shaniquah-Quashiqua fills out an application, they have a field day in the office. Once they get their fill of ghetto and ‘weave’ jokes and ripping you to pieces sight unseen, they usually toss the application, or it gets stuck in the ‘bottom of the pile’. If they do hire you, you’re relegated to some meaningless, inconsequential task behind the scenes so they won’t be embarrased by you.

I’ve learned the harsh truth that right or wrong, no quality mainstream company wants someone named (oh just pick a name) representing them in the forefront. We don’t hear that, though. We just want you to get the name right, and look at you funny if you don’t. I recall a time a young woman got really cross with me because her name was LaShi’quita and I forgot to capitalize the ‘S’ and left the little accent mark off the first ‘i’ - how was I supposed to know? But lawd ha’mercy...what did I do THAT for? She was mad, hostile, and ready to FIGHT! It was a BIG ridiculously overblown embarassing ordeal (for her), and that’s OUR fault, parents.

She wouldn’t have such a huge chip on her shoulder and be so defensive, confrontational and mean if we had just given her a name that the average person can pronounce or spell. No spell check in the world can help, so most of her existence is spent correcting the spelling of her name, and feeling disrespected because people can’t get it right. We set her up for this constant and unnecessary battle.

I do not advocate naming all our children Bobby and Susie. But let’s do our babies a favor and keep the syllables down to a minimum, leave out the suffixes “quita”, “sheika”,“eisha”, “niqua”, “quan”...anysuffix with the letter ‘Q’. I could go on, but you get where I'm headed.And if you want your child to have an authentic African or other ethnic name, do a little research. Don’t just make up a name and expect the world to be able to spell and pronounce it. You're not being original or cute. That child has to LIVE with that horrible name, and that's not funny...or cute.

Amen. Now pass the cornbread.


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: africanamerican; aquanetta; babynames; black; brerrabbit; byanyothername; children; deandre; dejames; ebonics; jaquezjaquan; lemonjello; name; names; nintendo; orangejello; spechal; unusualnames
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 981-1,0001,001-1,0201,021-1,0401,041-1,060 next last
To: TheSpottedOwl

First, not "my" list -- I can't take credit; it's from News of the Weird.

Second, the "*" means they were executed or died in prison, I believe.


1,001 posted on 03/31/2006 7:05:32 AM PST by MeanWestTexan (Many at FR would respond to Christ "Darn right, I'll cast the first stone!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 816 | View Replies]

To: perfect stranger
The rules are combination of Spanish/Jewish naming traditions.

Comes with the territory. As posted elsewhere, I narrowly dodged both "Shlomo" and "Mordecai"
1,002 posted on 03/31/2006 7:08:17 AM PST by MeanWestTexan (Many at FR would respond to Christ "Darn right, I'll cast the first stone!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 820 | View Replies]

To: Redcloak

Gacy and about 10 others were left out --- they were in a long preamble paragraph that I didn't cut and paste.


1,003 posted on 03/31/2006 7:09:37 AM PST by MeanWestTexan (Many at FR would respond to Christ "Darn right, I'll cast the first stone!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 835 | View Replies]

To: twippo

Ya gotta admit though.......... Mookie Blaylock has a kind of a nice ring to it! ;-)


1,004 posted on 03/31/2006 7:10:18 AM PST by NotJustAnotherPrettyFace
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Primetimedonna
Just sounds lazy to me!

Especially when at least 90% know the sex before birth.

1,005 posted on 03/31/2006 7:15:25 AM PST by Vinnie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 492 | View Replies]

To: dighton; Alouette; bonfire; Ditter

Yes, and that musical term is Italian in origin.


1,006 posted on 03/31/2006 7:16:40 AM PST by NotJustAnotherPrettyFace
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 58 | View Replies]

To: brytlea; MineralMan
It only makes her stand out when they see it written,
otherwise she's just another Madison....
Wasn't that the name of the mermaid Daryl Hannah played?

Yes, it was. But only because she read it on the street sign (i.e. Madison Ave.).

1,007 posted on 03/31/2006 7:18:12 AM PST by NotJustAnotherPrettyFace
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 68 | View Replies]

To: Blackirish; Don Carlos
How bout the NBA player named Anferny

Yes, Anfernee Hardaway is the actual spelling - of the New York Knicks (formerly of Orlando Magic). I must admit that that particular one is a never-ending source of chuckles around here (as this article suggests) esp. since we are all basketball fans. It's like the mother didn't know how to properly pronounce "Anthony" when the nurse asked her what name to put down on the birth certificate. And the kid is stuck with it for life. At least it's not umpteen gazillion unpronouncable syllables.

The saving grace is that, as a successful NBA player, he's laughing all the way to the bank now, but many others stuck with a similar name issue (loss of respect due to "creative naming by stupid parents") aren't as fortunate... or talented.

1,008 posted on 03/31/2006 7:36:03 AM PST by NotJustAnotherPrettyFace
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 165 | View Replies]

To: wyattearp

LOL! That could've been A LOT worse. Scott's not so bad. I have a brother by that name. :)


1,009 posted on 03/31/2006 7:39:39 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 759 | View Replies]

To: AmishDude
"I’ve been behind many a closed door with white corporate America. Oddly enough, many of them still see the Negro in the room as ‘non-existent’ or invisible, so they talked like I wasn’t even in the room."

Could it be that rather than seeing the negro in the room as non-existent, the guys were just accepting him as one of the guys, being colorblind towards him in other words?

1,010 posted on 03/31/2006 7:51:49 AM PST by Sam Cree (absolute reality) - ("Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." Albert Einstein)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 83 | View Replies]

To: Crispus Attucks Patriot
Yeah, but with a name like Derrick people assume yer just a crazy Brit...
1,011 posted on 03/31/2006 7:58:58 AM PST by null and void (Perhaps hating America is for those for whom hating Jews just isn't enough. - Philippe Roger)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 996 | View Replies]

To: kevkrom

kévkröm, hmmmmm, hâs å ñicé rìng tø ït...


1,012 posted on 03/31/2006 8:03:32 AM PST by null and void (Perhaps hating America is for those for whom hating Jews just isn't enough. - Philippe Roger)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 998 | View Replies]

To: babble-on

Nice shooting...


1,013 posted on 03/31/2006 8:04:06 AM PST by null and void (Perhaps hating America is for those for whom hating Jews just isn't enough. - Philippe Roger)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1000 | View Replies]

To: eyedigress

True story, (sad but true)...

In a church I belonged to years ago, there was a teenage girl, that had been named Dasha Butt. She was a very caucasian looking woman in an otherwise African American family. I always felt that the name was a racially motivated insult. ("Dasha Butt" sounds alot like "that's your butt".)


1,014 posted on 03/31/2006 8:06:10 AM PST by delacoert (imperat animus corpori, et paretur statim: imperat animus sibi, et resistitur. -AUGUSTINI)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 992 | View Replies]

To: null and void

I'm partial to k'éV-kR'öm


1,015 posted on 03/31/2006 8:17:14 AM PST by kevkrom ("...no one has ever successfully waged a war against stupidity" - Orson Scott Card)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1012 | View Replies]

To: kevkrom

OK, So be it...


1,016 posted on 03/31/2006 8:18:12 AM PST by null and void (Perhaps hating America is for those for whom hating Jews just isn't enough. - Philippe Roger)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1015 | View Replies]

To: TXBubba
I can relate to your wife. I left a nice four letter last name to marry into a spelling test everytime I give my new last name.

Yep. It ain't all peaches and cream when you go from "Jones" to "Lindauer" or something. (Lindauer is a friend---not my name)

1,017 posted on 03/31/2006 8:30:06 AM PST by subterfuge ("The GATOR boys are HOT right now."---Joakim Noah)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 376 | View Replies]

To: lesko
"Nevaeh"
So the parents name the kid the opposite of heaven?
Are they expecting a lifetime of hell from the kid or what? I'm starting to think there should be some basic testing before people can vote.
1,018 posted on 03/31/2006 8:34:12 AM PST by Ghost of Philip Marlowe (Liberals are blind. They are the dupes of Leftists who know exactly what they're doing.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: ShadowAce
My grandmother said that when she was in the hospital back in the early 30's having my father, a woman was brought in from Trenton, NJ. After the woman from Trenton had her baby, my grandmother and she started talking baby names.

The woman said that she already knew what she was going to name her baby, that she'd heard the child referred to during her birth and decided it was such a pretty name. The child's name? Placenta.

Now, this is what my grandmother told me. It may have been one of the earliest known urban legends. But that's what she told me.
1,019 posted on 03/31/2006 8:40:52 AM PST by Ghost of Philip Marlowe (Liberals are blind. They are the dupes of Leftists who know exactly what they're doing.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: twippo

I was calling roll on the first day of school -- monotone, very boring -- when I got to "Ronald McDonald". When I realized the name I had said, I almost lost it. The poor boy said, "Here." And then in a small voice said, "Would you please call me "Ron". Sure thing, I said. He was the nicest boy in the class. Felt so sorry for him -- how could any parent do that to a child?


1,020 posted on 03/31/2006 8:41:11 AM PST by Polyxene (For where God built a church, there the Devil would also build a chapel - Martin Luther)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 981-1,0001,001-1,0201,021-1,0401,041-1,060 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson