Instructor: Shanae S. Jeffries, Ph.D.

Our names serve as the moniker or brand of our lives. Before even showing your face, a person can likely deduce your gender, race and ethnicity, social class, and possibly your age. These demographic assumptions have been documented to be points of discrimination for applicants on housing applications, school admissions, jobs, and so much more; however, there is more that our names can share with society. The names we carry with us every day are a symbol of our ancestry, and while they possess signals of our identity to others, they also are a constant reminder of our heritage to carry with pride every day. The names that are so unique in our society carry stories and honor our ancestors before us. For example, some African cultures name their children based on the day of the week they were born; each day of the week symbolizes different characteristic traits that the child is destined to possess. In European countries there is a long-standing divide on whether to assimilate or stand in the distinctiveness of Africana culture with a unique name. The sociology of naming is vast and to date, this work has largely been Eurocentric. This workshop breaks the tradition and gives voice to the Africana sociology of naming.