daniellemertina:
What’s more interesting is why people are...
What’s more interesting is why people are obsessed with demonizing “stereotypical” African American names. Why is Laquisha worst than any other name? Linguistically, there is no basis for that assertion. Throughout the globe, there are all sorts of names. And funny enough some of the names that have been pegged as African American can actually be traced to other countries.
The real reason why names such as Laquisha are demonized is not because of how it is spelled or sounds but because in our minds we associate the name with a negative picture of a Black woman, the “hood rat” figure. Which of course is classist and racist.
I just read a story about a girl who legally changed her name to something “whiter” (her name was Keisha) because she no longer wanted to deal with being mocked about it. Jokes like this contribute to an unnecessary environment where Black people are demonized essentially for being Black and the excuse given is their name.
