In most educational or work settings it can be intimidating to stand up for yourself and your name ⤵️
Your name is an integral part of your identity. In most cases, your name enters a room before you physically do. And your name can prompt others to create predetermined ideas about what you have to offer.But within many cultures, a child’s name is a chance to honor family or immortalize a special moment in time. A unique moniker sets the tone for how we enter the world. Yet many women and people of color find themselves diminishing their given name, a large part of who they are, solely for work.
“I liked my name, but the fact that I was able to get the job when I changed my name did a number on me because I knew [my application] had nothing to do with my work ethic or potential,” Thusi explains. “It was that they saw my name and skipped through.” This simple change for Grant made a huge difference career-wise. After being hired, she slowly started to integrate her name in professional settings, sometimes using the nickname, KG. Going by Jane Grant had significantly boosted her application, but she realized how vital using her first name was.
Similarly, Nyesha Littlejohn learned early on how “difficult” her name was for other people. She recalls being separated from her mom in a store when she was five years old. She found a cashier at the checkout counter, and when they asked for her name, she remembers they butchered it completely. Because the cashier couldn’t pronounce her name, they decided to just pick up Littlejohn and let her use the microphone.
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