Ghetto or No? The Rejection of Blackcentric Names

Names in African culture are more than just words used to refer to a person. They are prophetic, tell a story about the circumstances around a person's birth, and communicate inspiring lessons or affirmations. For example, the name Onyinyechi means gift from God,

Tabansi means to persevere, and Okonkwo is a name given to a male child born on Nkwo which is a market day in Igbo land. Likewise, Black American do the same thing. Common names such as Kwame, Jamal, Raheem, Aaliyah, Ebony are part of the Black American culture. Unfortunately, the Western world perceives these names as ghetto.

Blackcentric names are not ghetto and have powerful meanings. Here are the meaning of some common Black names: Aaliyah means to rise, Jerome means sacred, Jamal means handsome, Kareem means noble one, Rashad and its female variant Rashida mean righteous, Omari means God is the highest, Imani means faith, Amari means great strength, and Kwame is the name of a Ghanaian leader who influenced most sub-Saharan countries to pursue liberation from western colonization.

What I find ironic is how creative names in Western society are accepted. For example, Wendy, Peggy, Molly, Skipper, Piper, Skyler, Tagg, Hunter, Dick, and Wolfgang are some  names in the West. These names could be considered unprofessional. However, they are accepted in western culture as “normal”.

A name is a name and should not be used to judge someone as unprofessional. Furthermore, the argument surrounding Blackcentric names has nothing to do with ghettoness. Rather, it stems from a society's ignorance and double standards, which considers western culture acceptable.