It’s universally accepted that Black People are creative. Music, literature, hair styles, apparel– Black People have certainly left their mark. However, Black People’s creativity doesn’t stop with themselves, it also extends to their children, too.
While parents from other cultures may be perfectly content to settle for naming their kids “John”, “Mary”, “Thomas” or “Jennifer”, Black People can never settle for anything that’s too common (or “Non-Black”).
“Shaniqua” (or “Shaneikqua”), “LaVernius”, “Condoleeza”, “Earthwind”, “Tyreke”, “Javon” and there are plenty more made up Black names where those came from.
In a Black Person’s ongoing quest to be as Black as they can possibly be (see #1. Being Black), giving their child(ren) a distinct or unusual name that will instantly label them as “Black” even in print is one of the most gracious things a Black Person can do for their child. This will ensure their child(ren) will never be able to forget their Blackness and that no one else will be able to forget it either.
Hey man, interesting post. Do you know who have the rights for this image you used to illustrate your article? One of my clients want this to illustrate one page of their website as well. Thank you for your time.
Giving a kid a made up black name is like tying a ball and chain to his leg for life. Why would anyone do that to their kid? If my small business is on the line and I have 2 entry level job openings, Tyquan and La-dasha are not going to be at the top of the hiring list. John and Mary – white or black doesn’t matter – are going to get a much closer look. And nobody can oversee or police my decision to hire whomever I want as long as it isn’t based on protected categories such as age, sex, or race. Tyquan and La-dasha ought to assume normal names on their employment applications and put their real name in parentheses: “Robert (Tyquan) Smith”. I’m just telling you what the real world is like.