JustJamei.com

An Encouraging Commentary for considering unique black naming conventions

I was reflecting on black naming conventions. My parents and are not close to having a child but we have discussed potential names for our future children. Lately I’ve been reflective about my next steps with life and my mind wander to thoughts about my future children.

I’ve always been conflicted about how I want to name my children. I like unique, stereotypical, black American names. I have one myself. But I want to set up my child for maximum success.

And this is a personal monologue about the benefits of a unique name and how that can set children up for success.

Play the audio here:

Below I have included the transcript:

So at this moment in time, I am getting started as a blogger. I am registering my domain and all that. And I was thinking about creating more domains for my page or not creating, I guess, purchasing, um, and adding them to my page, adding them to the things that I own. And I was thinking about additional domains because I have a pretty unique first name. My first name is Janeira. My last name is Miller. So my last name is really pretty common, but my first name is pretty unique. And I am a black American. And there are different Stereotypes about black names and black naming conventions. Um, and as I was thinking about purchasing more domains, because I just set up justJamei.com, and, um, the way I spelled Jamei is pretty unique. J-A-M-E-I. I was thinking about having more websites that incorporate my name because the websites are about me and what I’m doing and like Jamie’s journey, different things of that nature. And as I was thinking about this, I was thinking about how Black naming conventions, the stereotypes about how it’ll become more difficult for your child to find a job. And How they’ll be judged or made fun of for their names, children. I was also thinking about the fact that, Do I want my children to have a conventional job per sé? I mean, to some degree, I think that a conventional job will be very helpful for them. My very first job was working in a restaurant as a hostess. So I think that it is practical for children to have a job. Um, but I do think that, For the most part, those aren’t the types of jobs that people are worried that their children will be barred from entering. I think people are more concerned about their children having, um, corporate careers and being viewed in a professional light. And, in general, working as a hostess at 17 is not the most professional job, at least that’s not what we view as a society. Um, It’s it’s just a job. It’s not typically seen as a career. Um, But so yes, I do want my children to have jobs, I guess. But I also want to leave my children with generational wealth. And if they have a common name, like say John Smith, I don’t think that they’ll be able to own their own website that incorporates their name the way that I more easily can. So, When we’re setting up our children, do I want to name them something that is completely unique? In spelling and pronunciation, whatever. Do I want to name my my child something unique so that they can trademark their name? So that their name is easily identified with their brand. So that their their name is globally recognizable or even not, if not globally, locally. But it’s. Pedestrian and mundane naming conventions, like having something that fits so easily into society. It’s, It offers a form of protection in many sense. But, I feel like completely unique naming conventions. It offers your children the ability to be exceptional. And there are other websites that they can own and other things that they can do. Like they don’t have to have their name being completely unique and still they can be incredibly successful and still they can go on to own their own businesses. They might, Not have to even take the traditional, Professional corporate path. But, I think that there is something very cool about how the stereotypical black naming conventions are. I love my name. Jameira. And people sometimes think I don’t love my name because I have a nickname. It’s Jamei. I love nicknames. That is something cultural. I love that I have a nickname. Um, I have many nicknames too. And I love to incorporate what I am called, who I am called, because Different people call me different things and different people see a different side of me. So I love the whole naming convention. I love all of it. I love my names. And I want to give that to my kids. So many people say that like they’ll be bullied, they’ll be teased. People are gonna be bullied and teased, Regardless. Like, there will be in groups and out groups. Maybe it’ll be their name. Maybe it’ll be their hair, maybe it’ll be their clothes. I mean, like, people will be bullied in teased, regardless. I’m not saying that, like, I encourage bullying and teasing, but I do think that sometimes society putting pressure on people can be positive. Um, Like when people are doing shameful things and the group looks at them like, this is an embarrassment. You should be embarrassed. feel ashamed here, and then they do, and they’re like, why is everyone staring at me? It’s because you’re doing something that society views is inappropriate. But how you name your child? Some people are like, it’s inappropriate to name your child, like what Elon Musk name to his child, Ash. However, that’s spelled like. That child can go on and make a website that is his name.com. But how is a John Smith? If I name my child, John Miller, if I name my child, James Miller, what are the chances that that website isn’t already taken? Like, when I was a kid, my mom, she teases me to this day. I thought up a name and I was, I was maybe like in 1st grade, but I thought sequinbanésha, was the most beautiful name, and I said, I will name my child sequinbanésha. And I think the title of this, This conversation that I’m having, Should be called justice for sequinbanésha. Because I bet you, I bet my bottom dollar, there is no sequinbanéshA.com. And I bet Sequinbanésha can be. Trademarked? And I bet that sequinbanésha is a very unique, easily identifiable name. Like, I want my children to be as identifiable as Beyonce or Zendaya. And I don’t know if they’ll, you know, be as great singers or as great of an actress. But, They get to be known by their first name. And It’s. I feel like naming my child something completely unique as much as people want to make fun of it. I feel like it’s actually setting my child up for the trajectory of exceptionalism. I actually think that. I think naming my child, something that no one else would think of, something that people think is like, avant-garde or ridiculous. They’ll be underestimated, sure. They’ll be seen as ghetto or ratchet or whatever negative things. They’ll be seen as someone stereotypical. But, I think that, I am someone who has pursued, Great things. I think that my parents set me up for positivity throughout my life and. I think I’ll do the same for my child, me and my partner. So, I feel like certain safeguards, certain training wheels, Aren’t , needed. Their name can be, Completely unique, and I think that they will find abundant success. and sure, they’ll be teased . But people are gonna be teased about something. So if it’s their name and if they take the thing that they’re teased about and turn it into their greatest triumph, if they turn it into a strength, because I think a unique name, instead of being seen as something that’s so negative, it’s actually an asset. It is an asset that I want to give my child at birth that cost me nothing. But that can open so many doors for them. And so I will end this by saying, justice for sequinbanéshA. And I am pretty sure my partner completely disagrees with my viewpoints. So maybe we’ll get another perspective. I want to know other people’s perspectives on it. And I want people to like critically engage with what I’m saying. Like, Be as unique names. They’re beautiful many times, even if they sound absolutely crazy. Like, They’re cultural, and it’s looked down upon how black people do it, but like, there are so many other ethnic groups, other national groups, nationalities. I can’t pronounce those names easily, but I, they’re reinforced in our society for us to learn certain people, and why can’t people be reinforced to learn how to pronounce your child’s name? So I want to reinforce my child’s importness. My child’s importance, future children. I don’t currently have any. And I also want to reinforce. My child’s uniqueness, and I can honestly say that as someone with a completely unique name, I love it, and I want that for my kid too. And some people think that I don’t because I like will critique people and say, call me James. But I want people to call me specific things at specific times based on their position in my life. Everybody doesn’t get to call me what my family calls me. And so I want to give that gift to my kids. Because I think that it is a beautiful gift.