Shantel, Keisha, Keonte’, Latoya, and Mo’Nique are all black sounding names that will not get someone hired at certain jobs. Raven-Symone’ was recently interviewed on a talk show named The View and said that she would not hire an African American if their name sounded too black, in other words, ghetto. “The diversification of baby names in America started in the late 1960s during a larger socio cultural shift that emphasized individuality” (Jerkins). African Americans are always judged by their skin color, their race, and now their name. Many employers are bias against African Americans without even knowing that they are. Some employers do not hire African Americans whether it is based on their names, or because of their appearance; if their …show more content…
In Carissa Romero debate column “Employers Should Actively Weigh Social Barriers” she stated how employers would rather hire people that is not as qualified as someone that has a ‘misleading’ name. Romero also used an analogy that came from a social psychologist, Greg Walton, about how African Americans will work to their full potential at all times because they have been through many trials and tribulations to just be respected. Since African Americans are so unrepresented and have to go through a lot just to get small jobs they know they have to do their absolute best to stay at a high quality job. Some employers no longer look at workers qualifications but their names’ instead. Some people could have a ‘misleading’ name but are highly qualified in their field of interest but will not get the opportunity. Some African American names are really important to some; some names are from the African origin. Some names could come from parents backgrounds or some achievements they have made. Keonte’ is a name that is black sounding but that also mean brave warrior. Another name that is a common name is Diamonte which means Diamond in spanish. According to Morgan Jerkins in her debate column “Appreciate the History of Names to Root out Stigma” a study showed that teachers would have a lower expectation for kids with unusually spelled names like Da’Quan, even when compared to their siblings with "less black-sounding names like Damarcus, but that is just a stereotype. I personally know many people with black sounding names that is just as smart, and possible smarter, than me. Many African Americans may not act like they’re as smart as they are, but that does not give people the ability to lower their expectations of them. People are basing kids failure or success based upon their name and the spelling of their name. Jerkins also stated, “black-sounding names are not only racist but