Black Man X - Do you take pride in your last name? Serious discussion.

[Big Daddy]

I dont hold an elitist attitude towards people with European names but I do when people try to get slick about my name like it isn't normal, as if carrying the name of your ancestral slave owner is a badge of pride. Its funny we clown people for "making up" names for their kids and be like "Why not give them a respectable name like John", I would rather someone give their kid a name up name than some Euro name UNLESS they personally feel the meaning is that important. Being that I will probably be the last 100% african more than likely in my direct Blood line my goal is to ensure every first son carries my name, and all of my descendants have at minimum a Tribal middle name, I plan on writing up a family law and having it past down. Being a Liberian born in the USA, I view the plight of the Black on Earth from a different lense then most others as many African Americans and Africans are on that time when it comes to relations, but the simple fact that there are Americans who share an Ancestor with me I view us all as the same. In the grand scheme of things we have to understand we as West Africans and Africans in the Americas are the same, so while East Africans like to get on that , West Africans and African in the Americas have to realize we are all fighting the same fight, and while it is not smart to try to take on each others issues, at most we have to realize we are all literally cousins and have the same blood.

I feel a lot of what you're saying but I want to specifically reply to what you said about the tendency of Afr. Americans to "make up" names and they way it is often clowned.

While I too have found myself clowning the more 'grotesque' made up names (sharkeisha, for instance), I have always held this belief that it was simply the instinctive African in us coming out.. that urge to name our children something 'different' than these European names.

And I'm not really conveying this belief of mine correctly, the most fitting words to describe it all escapes me at the moment.. but essentially I see it the same way I see our "ebonics" and the reason why we speak the way we do - It's a natural instinctive thing that we just do.

Our African genetics/spirit seems to know that "English" isn't the language that is supposed to be spilling off of our tongues, so we naturally pronounce and remix English words they way WE do, "ebonics".

And with our names, the same thing goes. Something in us just makes us not really want to settle for a Brenda or Brian, and instead we go with Rashon and Jamila.. names that are more 'full' in substance or alliteration, or something.. idk.. again, im not really saying it the way I'd like, but I know it's something.. it's in us.

 

[Apollo Creed]

I feel a lot of what you're saying but I want to specifically reply to what you said about the tendency of Afr. Americans to "make up" names and they way it is often clowned.

While I too have found myself clowning the more 'grotesque' made up names (sharkeisha, for instance), I have always held this belief that it was simply the instinctive African in us coming out.. that urge to name our children something 'different' than these European names.

And I'm not really conveying this belief of mine correctly, the most fitting words to describe it all escapes me at the moment.. but essentially I see it the same way I see our "ebonics" and the reason why we speak the way we do - It's a natural instinctive thing that we just do.

Our African genetics/spirit seems to know that "English" isn't the language that is supposed to be spilling off of our tongues, so we naturally pronounce and remix English words they way WE do, "ebonics".

And with our names, the same thing goes. Something in us just makes us not really want to settle for a Brenda or Brian, and instead we go with Rashon and Jamila.. names that are more 'full' in substance or alliteration, or something.. idk.. again, im not really saying it the way I'd like, but I know it's something.. it's in us.

Whats funny is every nation where English is Spoken and there Blacks, the blacks speak a Broken English/ Patios,from Liberia to South Carolina to Jamaica. Like I said we are all the same people and by nature we always come back to our original state one way or the other besides situations where we are in controlled environments that force us to act outside of our nature.

 

[charmander]

I got the same last name as all my family that came from eritrea so I can't relate to the slave name dilemma a lotta nikkas in America face

I take a lot of pride in my name since I know anyone else with my last name is a relative and came from the same place

 

[Big Daddy]

Whats funny is every nation where English is Spoken and there Blacks, the blacks speak a Broken English/ Patios,from Liberia to South Carolina to Jamaica. Like I said we are all the same people and by nature we always come back to our original state one way or the other besides situations where we are in controlled environments that force us to act outside of our nature.

I am ALWAYS trying to get American Blacks to embrace their dialect (ebonics) the way other Blacks (Jamaicans, etc) embrace their dialect. There's a different type of pressure on us, though.

We're constantly hit with "that's not proper English" and "you sound illiterate", type stigmas. And we face that from day one.

Whereas in other Black countries it's generally widely accepted and embraced, save for the few uppity elites maybe.

But here, there are too many taboos against the way we speak for Blacks to ever fully embrace it, I think. But yeah man, we have it in us just like the Blacks around the world..one blood, one origin. Just like you said.

The effects of being outside of our environment for such a loonng time and it's effects on our nature is a topic we could start an entirely new thread on ..

 

[Ken Mercilus]

I feel a lot of what you're saying but I want to specifically reply to what you said about the tendency of Afr. Americans to "make up" names and they way it is often clowned.

While I too have found myself clowning the more 'grotesque' made up names (sharkeisha, for instance), I have always held this belief that it was simply the instinctive African in us coming out.. that urge to name our children something 'different' than these European names.

And I'm not really conveying this belief of mine correctly, the most fitting words to describe it all escapes me at the moment.. but essentially I see it the same way I see our "ebonics" and the reason why we speak the way we do - It's a natural instinctive thing that we just do.

Our African genetics/spirit seems to know that "English" isn't the language that is supposed to be spilling off of our tongues, so we naturally pronounce and remix English words they way WE do, "ebonics".

And with our names, the same thing goes. Something in us just makes us not really want to settle for a Brenda or Brian, and instead we go with Rashon and Jamila.. names that are more 'full' in substance or alliteration, or something.. idk.. again, im not really saying it the way I'd like, but I know it's something.. it's in us.

 

[Apollo Creed]

I am ALWAYS trying to get American Blacks to embrace their dialect (ebonics) the way other Blacks (Jamaicans, etc) embrace their dialect. There's a different type of pressure on us, though.

We're constantly hit with "that's not proper English" and "you sound illiterate", type stigmas. And we face that from day one.

Whereas in other Black countries it's generally widely accepted and embraced, save for the few uppity elites maybe.

But here, there are too many taboos against the way we speak for Blacks to ever fully embrace it, I think. But yeah man, we have it in us just like the Blacks around the world..one blood, one origin. Just like you said.

The effects of being outside of our environment for such a loonng time and it's effects on our nature is a topic we could start an entirely new thread on ..

The places where people speak broken english freely those people typically dont have to deal with non whites on the level we do in America in so called "professional" settings, and those who do can switch up their talking. Whats funny is I can go to any city and understand the broken english spoken by the natives. For example I remember people would complain about the Jamaicans on the show Money and Violence when they talked because people felt they couldn't understand them and needed subtitles, while I could understand everything they were saying clearly. One interesting thing about Broken English/Patios is that it is a mix of various European words not just "English", like growing up my parents would call suitcases "valises" which is Italian/French, could have been from Ivorian influences since the area they are from is next to the Ivory Coast, idk, but still found it interesting.

 

[Dirty Mcdrawz]

WOW.

BIG to them for having the necessary amount of self awareness and bravery(during a time when it was hard for a Black man to have EITHER) to get rid of their European names and reclaim their identity the first chance they got!

Did the name get carried/passed down to you too ? :ohh:

Sorry to disappoint but they just ended up changing it to something else European. And yes the name did get passed down to me.

 

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

This is why renaming yourself (at least your last name) should be heavily considered for people who do not want as Africans/African descent to run around with European names. If you are lucky and can get your ancestor's last name, it is a no-brainer to change your name to that. If you cannot get your true name back, you'd need to think hard about what to name yourself. It's a chance to have a clean slate in a way and have a last name that actually reflects your heritage and culture.

This reminds me of a college professor I had. She changed her first name to a name from some African dialect as a sign of "rebelling" and "getting back to her roots". But she kept her last name "Kemp" stating that was her "family" name.

I like my last name because my father changed it from Smith. His brother and sister adopted the same last name and even though my aunt got married and her kids have her husband's last name, my cousins from my uncle have the same last name as us too. They're still young, think the oldest boy is 20 so they don't have sons yet but I got a son and my brother has 2 sons, so the name will live on.

 

[NERO]

No. Either an ancestor or mine was raped, bedwenched or smutted out and had a b*stard child by this surname or it was taken on by convenience. Either way the reality is ugly. Interestingly enough my father took pride in it. This is the "insert common black last name here" way. But he is no longer breathing so I'm considering changing it. I do however take pride in my first name although it is anglo as well. Good question. If I knew for a fact my last name was passed down from some white dude who truly loved the black woman he was fukking and she him I would feel better about it. I almost think black last names in this country are a running joke and constant reminder of our broken heritage identity. I am envious of people of African descent who still have their African family name.

 

[Danie84]

No, cuz I always Ovastand that Smith wasn't my Real African name

 

[Big Daddy]

Sorry to disappoint but they just ended up changing it to something else European. And yes the name did get passed down to me.

 

[Big Daddy]

I almost think black last names in this country are a running joke and constant reminder of our broken heritage identity..

That is exactly how I feel about it, and why I explore this topic.

 

[CriticalThought]

Had a family patriarch not take the surname of his owner when he left the slavery. I think more AA's need to do this. It's an essential step in decolonizing. But what's funny is how some "folks" who want to clown the new names that have entered circulation as well.

Which is a dead giveaway it's not even the name, it's about them trying to come up with any shyt possible to hate on you for.

If you do switch up, just remember taking someone's names is voluntary colonialism. Don't look to Africans or the Arabs and etc. NAME YOURSELF.

We're a different group with different identities and different history and it needs to reflect that. We're not them, they aren't us.

Taking "others" last names looks even more foolish in the grand scheme of things. We involuntarily had are names genocided, replaced with the oppressor's names, and now you want to change it to people you have no links with? That's crazy.

But hopefully in a few years AA's will finish the work in regards to the last names like they've started with the first.

 

[Big Daddy]

Had a family patriarch not take the surname of his owner when he left the slavery. I think more AA's need to do this. It's an essential step in decolonizing. But what's funny is how you some "folks" who want to clown the new names that have entered circulation as well.

Which is a dead giveaway it's not even the name, it's about them trying to come up with any shyt possible to hate on you for.

If you do switch up, just remember taking someone's names is voluntary colonialism. Don't look to Africans or the Arabs and etc. NAME YOURSELF.

We're a different group with different identities and different history and it needs to reflect that. We're not them, they aren't us.

Taking "others" last names looks even more foolish in the grand scheme of things. We involuntarily had are names genocided, replaced with the oppressor's names, and now you want to change it to people you have no links with? That's crazy.

But hopefully in a few years AA's will finish the work in regards to the last names like they've started with the first.

You raise some very, very interesting points.. The sentiments you expressed regarding simply "taking on an Afrikan name", I share as well. That is the whole reason I stated earlier that I would find where my Ancestry lies, look at tthe peoples' names and meanings, break them down/apart, and formulate my own.

I still agree with looking to Afrika for the lineage, though.Specifically when searching for the leads as to which names we should have. The truth is we will forever be linked there through heritage/blood lines and I want to maintain that link through my name as well.(as much as i can without taking on a preexisting Afrikan name)

 

[ℒℴѵℯJay ELECTUA]

No cracker or slave title in my name!