In “Roots” by Alex Haley, there is an entire chapter dedicated to a scene where a newly enslaved African man is tortured for hours on end by a relentless slaver attempting to replace the name Kunta Kinte with the name Toby. Kunta Kinte, the enslaved African man, refuses to allow the slaver to strip him of his traditional calling, and realizes during the process that this was the slaver’s way of breaking down the spirit of his enslaved people -- tearing heritage from the Africans was only step one of molding an obedient slave. Eventually, a part of Kunta Kinte’s fortitude buckled, and he succumbed to the slaver’s malicious tactics, thus, becoming Toby.
Unique names have only recently been introduced to the Black community. Following the 1970’s Black people with names like Shaniqua and DeMarquis became more common and quickly gained attention from those who frowned upon so-called “ghetto” names. Most of those who oppose said names are either white people or older people of color.
It’s harder for white people to understand the concept behind unique names in the Black community considering a majority of them are distanced from it and its history. Puns about poverty and negative stereotypes of Blackness are laced with punchlines featuring the names of fictional characters called “Shanaynay,” “Bon Qui Qui,” or “Watermelondrea,” either birthed or utilized by ignorant whites who neglect to understand the history of names that may persuade prejudice.
White America, as surprising as it may seem, had a lot to do with the founding of Black names. The past few centuries following the transatlantic slave trade have given people of African descent a reason to reinvent themselves, starting with their legal titles.
Slavery in America was only the beginning of a continuing process of confiscating afrocentrism and cultures originating in “the dark continent.” Slavers replaced Orishas with white Jesus, kept Africans who spoke the same tongue away from each other, and bestowed onto the enslaved people new names. Whenever a new name was accepted by an enslaved person, they instantly became the recipients of more respect coming from the slaver. This part of the system plants the idea that names like Susan, Mary, Annie, James, Richard, and Edward, are rewarding and naturally earn people more honor and civility than names like Ashaka, Tau, Zola, Akachi, Obasi, and Ekene.
The alleged abolition of slavery lead to segregation, which forced Black people into impoverished quarters of the country. Public schools in colored neighborhoods were parallel to schools in white neighborhoods, this is no secret. However, the two did have one thing in common. Teachers taught about wealthy, successful, or intelligent industry men, politicians, and philosophers. None of which carry African heritage in their veins, and none of which possess names that derive from countries that have populations predominant with people of color. When learning about millionaires named Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller, or George Washington and King James, or Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, it’s easy for people of color, who know no such treasure, to subconsciously feel like these names inherently grant fortune.
A man who’s name opposes the idea that people with “white sounding” names are innately bound for happy existences, is Ayuba Suleiman Diallo, a Senegalese man who devoted himself to Islam and was captured during the slave trade and brought to the “New World,” enslaved. Diallo was unlike the other people abducted from West Africa; he knew how to read, write, and speak several languages. He wrote many journal entries regarding his experience as an enslaved man coming from Africa to America. According to records, slavers respected Diallo for his intellect, viewing him as superior to the other Africans they’d kidnapped from across the ocean. It was later discovered that Diallo was actually of a high class African family. He was released from slavery and sent on his way as a free man. Today, students won’t hear much about Diallo, if anything at all. Instead, they’ll be taught about Job Ben Solomon, a rich African who was respected by his foolish captures after they found out he was more than just another “dumb slave,” and no teacher will dare to address Job Ben Solomon by his real, African name: Ayuba Suleiman Diallo. The publishers of Diallo’s journals changed his name to an alias that better fit the profile of white America’s idea of a wealthy, intelligent man.
Come the Civil Rights Movement beginning in 1954, powerful leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. gained attention from the nation. Today, MLK is still revered as the most respected Black leader in American history. According to many white and Black people, Martin Luther King would have virtually destroyed racism; his approach to civil injustice as a peaceful, Christian man would have been bound to wrought change had he not been assassinated. It is less likely, however, to find people who look up to civil rights activists such as Assata Shakur or Malcolm X with the same regard. Every February, schools teach students about Black history at an amazing speed, taking three weeks out of the year to shed light on the timeline of Black America, and the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr., but hardly mentioning the Black Panther Party, the Black Liberation Army or the prime members that lead such organizations. Assata Shakur and Malcolm X are taboos of Black history; they are seen as aggressive instigators who brought a bad name to the Civil Rights Movement. And yet, they’ve managed to have such a huge impact on Black culture today.
Their activism began with their names. Malcolm X, whose original name was Malcolm Little, threw away his last name, which had been passed down to him from his ancestors’ slaver, as a way to show that his true last name -- his African name -- had been lost in the horrible storm of slavery that ravaged West African people. Assata Shakur adopted this method when she changed her name from JoAnne Deborah Byron. She recognized that her birth name was influenced by eurocentric ideals of a pretty, respectable name. The idea of creating new names for oneself as a way of opposing internal racism and promoting Black love sprouted within communities of people of color. This is when the development of “Black sounding” names took place.
However, the meanings and historical significances of these names became lost once the Civil Rights era died off with its leaders. Schools taught that Rosa Parks was the first person to be arrested for resisting segregation on public transportation, when in fact, it was a young girl named Claudette Colvin. It is taught that Martin Luther King made major change virtually on his own, when it was Malcolm X who advocated for Black love -- a way of breaking intangible chains and a method that created happiness for many upcoming generations of Black people.
Some think these figures gave Black people an excuse to feel more angry than they needed to, and thus act out against the authority by naming their kids outrageous, made up words. Some say “It’s not about race, it’s about presentation,” when arguing that one’s name and attire bring about negative or positive judgement from white people; it’s not Blackness that draws out prejudice, it’s “ghettoness.” When making this argument, it is the only time these people actually forget about the amazing work of Martin Luther King Jr.. He was a clergyman, a peaceful activist, and a victim of extreme racial hate. MLK wore a suit and tie, spoke in a way that may be considered “proper” English, yet he was still targeted by white people and was murdered by the United States government. Not because he had a “ghetto” name. Not because he wore baggy pants and durags. But because he was Black and demanded justice.
“Black names” are not a form of protest, after all. It’s simply a way of showing the masses that Black folks love themselves enough not to feel they have to adopt “white names” in order to feel established.
The invention of “Black names” in the early 1900s jumpstarted the reinvention of Blackness in America. Because Black people had been detached from their African roots, and forced to fend for themselves, by themselves, during segregation, there began the evolution of Black culture. Inspired by the revolution against white supremacy, Black people took pride in pursuing traditions from their motherland. Many saw fit to name themselves and their children things like Ashanti, a prominent tribe in Africa, or simply Africa to resemble the entire continent (considering most Black people didn’t know their origin country). Others followed naming traditions founded during slavery. Due to the slavers’ practices of pairing enslaved persons from tribes that spoke separate tongues, it was common for them to name their children things that combined both languages, thus providing names like Latty or Currasa. Today, it’s common to come across a Black person with a name that resembles some type of luxury, such as Diamond or Mercedes. This method of naming is also persuaded by old African traditions, since many times Africans saw fit to name their children based on the wealth they wish for them to acquire later in life.
Names that may be considered extremely “ethnic,” like LaDeja or Ja’vante, are very popular in the Black community. These names are viewed as “ghetto,” which suggests that it has little cultural value and actually belittles the person who owns the name. However, names don’t belittle or devalue a person, people do. People who don’t understand that these names actually derive from French speaking Black people -- typically Creole -- that use their language (sometimes patois*) to name their children. LaDeja couples the words “la” and “deja (vu),” creating a name that means “the foreseer.” Javante does the same with “je” and “avante,” which means “I am kind.”
As a Black person, the process of naming a child has a lot of complexities that may go misunderstood or simply disregarded by non-Black or ignorant people. The development of Black names has been in the works since slavery in America began, and its evolution has only just started. The invention of “ghetto” names is merely an illusion, truly. Because someone who claims a name is “ghetto” is actually announcing their internal or blatant racism, a thing that has existed for centuries and continues to undermine Blackness as we speak.
