Founder, Kidsbook author, Speaker | DEIB Content and Engagement Consultant Helping K-5 Clients Navigate Hard Conversations and Co-Create Belonging and Equity in ECE Spaces.
How bad is bad when someone mispronounces your name? One of the more popular videos I’ve posted to my Instagram started off as an impassioned plea, but I had no expectations that the message would be resonant across audiences. As somebody whose name has been mispronounced at important work events, and whose name has been shown but not said in popular media (side-eyes Team Drew Barrymore), I’m now over it. I know this won’t sit right with all of you. I know this is a controversial take, but hear me out, and in turn, I’d love to hear what you think. Let's just understand that people will never be able to pronounce most names 100% correctly because the languages they grew up speaking do not contain the sounds in our names. In such cases, I think it’s the effort that counts–and the willingness to listen, try again, and grow, to accept criticism without taking offense. My stance is that if somebody cannot pronounce my name correctly but is respectful and has a deep understanding of cultures, I’ll give them a pass. It’s more important to me that they respect my thought processes, my beliefs, and knowledge systems, than it is that they can hit the dental -ti part of my name the way those who speak Hindi, my mother tongue, can. I’d like to qualify this by saying I do think that cultures of color need to take up more space. People make such an effort to pronounce names within ‘superior’ or elitist cultures correctly (yes, we all know I’m talking about the French) and the same efforts should be paid to communities of color. This post is certainly not to let mispronunciation—out of carelessness, ignorance, or intention to create a power dynamic—off the hook. I think that’s a better deal. What do you think? #names #naming #culture #culturalliteracy #culturalawareness #namepronunciation #socialjustice #diversity #inclusion #education #socialjsuticeeducation #culturallyresponsiveeducation #belonging
