It's perfectly legal to change your name....no one will think less of you if you do. I promise! I mean, I would if my name were Shakeeva (even if I wasn't Black. And while I may have made up some of the later names, Shakeeva is real.) What is the goal/purpose in keeping such a limiting name?
In a country (arguably, world) where brown skin is an extra hurdle to clear, it makes no sense to add another one by giving a child such a trivial name. If the goal is to change peoples’ perceptions of the Shakeevas and Marquishas of the world through positive Black Ambassardor behavior, why? Doors open more easily for Brians and Michaels than for Treyvons or Jacquemons - it's a fact of this reality. We could argue that life is all about challenging assumptions but sometimes an assumption can pin you into a corner that you can't fight your way out of. Your name precedes your personality, skill set, experience, education...and if people decide at that point to investigate you no further, you've lost. Choose your battles wisely - this is not one that we (Negroes) should waste our time fighting. Much easier to concede and move on.
What is the psychology of a person with a name like Marquisha? Is their potential not limited by their own negative self perceptions foisted upon them from the outside in? If for no other person but themselves should they change their name. It will increase their self-perception through more positive interactions and first reactions to their names will be more palatable. There is power in a name. This is why ancient Asian cultures would wait a few years for the personality to develop to appropriately name a child. This is also why the name Hitler is no longer in existence- the perception associated with the name.
By giving these children these names, we are perpetuating a vicious cycle of ignorance and shame that must be ended now. And it's vicious because it's psychological warfare. The most silent and the most deadly. It's only another way to keep the disadvantaged, disadvantaged. PLEASE stop giving these kids such detrimental names!
Why doesn't white America use these names?
