The Politics of Giving Your Child a Black Name

Politic365 ^ | December 30, 2011 | Jeneba Ghatt

[2ndDivisionVet]

Jeneba Jalloh Ghatt represents small, women, and minority owned business and technology companies at The Ghatt Law Group LLC, the nations’ first communications law firm owned by women and minorities. She's won landmark cases on behalf of her clients which include national civil rights and public interest organizations. In addition to actively authoring several blogs, being a radio show host and sitting on the boards of three non-profits, she is a tech junkie who has been developing online web content since the very early years of the Internet, 1991 to be precise!

[manc]

Not sure the author knows what on earth they are on about, because I have never met yet in the schools, at work etc blacks calling their girls names like Madison.

Most names end with sha or even names like Kevin are named Kevon.

Maybe it’s different up in NY and the upper class elitist the author hangs out with.

[Gen.Blather]

Having worked to select interview candidates I can tell you that in the defense industry blacks are coveted. When you fill out the application you’re asked to name your race. Blacks get looked at first because contracts require a percentage of black employees. However, those with an overtly black name are looked askance at. The feeling is they were brought up in a household that taught them discrimination is everywhere. Companies fear that these blacks will sue the company for discrimination using a government supplied lawyer. Several blacks with “black” names that we got from a “historically black college” seemed to feel that it was their real job to uncover the discrimination they knew was there, sue and retire.

Do away with the ability to sue for discrimination using the taxpayer’s dime and you’ll do away with discrimination against black names by hiring managers.

[Rodamala]

[Olog-hai]

News flash to this author: “Jayden” is a Hebrew name (it means “The LORD has heard”). Also Biblical, since it comes from Jadon the Meronothite mentioned in Nehemiah 3:7. The only thing that makes certain people think it suddenly a “black name” is that Will Smith’s son is named Jaden.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Le-a (pronounced “Ledasha” ‘cause the dash don’t be silent)

[9YearLurker]

Jayden is a black name? Doesn’t sound it to me.

[manc]

Tahisha, Kabreesha, Latisha, Mubreesha, they’re all the same today with most black females.

[9YearLurker]

Yep, she’s clearly in the tiny subset of upper-middle-class, Ivy League attending, black professionals who want their kids to fit in in places like Andover and Exeter.

[Olog-hai]

Awesome; sudden syllabic writing.

[ExCTCitizen]

Blacks should give their kids ‘Caucasian names’, because if I have a job applicant named ‘Madison Washington’, I’d hire her then if the person name was ‘Qadar Washington’.

[Mathews]

A-Aron rocks. DeNice was a little crabby in my opinion.

[Squawk 8888]

Most of the genuinely traditional black American names are biblical in origin. AFAIK it goes back to the days of slavery when many blacks discovered salvation in Jesus (which BTW is why most "black" church services are a huge party).

[Flag_This]

"I have never met yet in the schools, at work etc blacks calling their girls names like Madison."

I don't know - after all, she did conduct exhaustive research at a Gymboree class...

[Tax-chick]

In my Weight Watchers meeting, there are black women named Frances, Annette, and Priscilla. There are white women named Tamieka and Keesha.

[Squawk 8888]

“Black” names are very uncommon here in Canada. Probably because they are better integrated into the mainstream here.

[fieldmarshaldj]

"Madison, a name historically and traditionally given by White parents."

Historically and traditionally ? Virtually no one named their daughter that prior to 1984 when the movie "Splash" came out. After that, there was an explosion of "Madisons."

[ZinGirl]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCdmiZyyGjQ

[PennsylvaniaMom]

I am related to a Caucasian Clarence, as well as a Caucasian Precious (she was very premature-now in 20s went to school w/my son).

Going to HS w/son right now, I can think of two AfAm girls who use very “white” nicknames as opposed to their more vowel enhanced given names.

The study might really be “on” to something though. Names really are cyclical.

[exDemMom]

Roland G. Fryer Jr., a young Black economist who has analyzed the “acting White” phenomenon and the Black-White test score gap, is cited in Freakonomics: a Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen Dubner.

Much of what is dismissed/ostracized by low-class blacks as "acting white" are the behaviors that promote success in life: studying hard, getting good grades, speaking eloquently, etc. Those behaviors are not particular to race--they will help anyone achieve success.

Unfortunately, until this particular aspect of black culture is eliminated, blacks will continue to suffer a disproportionate share of poverty.

Liberal (mostly white) politicians, though, are perfectly happy to promote stigmatization of those who "act white." They don't care about black success, they just want black votes. And class/race warfare is their best vote-getter.