The black community is known to give their children very distinctive names. Out of black girls and black boys, black girls who do not have a common name, face discrimination, deal with being stereotyped, and are often joked about.

For years people have used the name, Shaniqua, for stereotyping black girls as a whole. When a black girls is called this name, it means that they being mocked. They are described as being a loud, ghetto black girl. Although this name is a popular association with black girls, it is not the only name that gets discriminated against, stereotyped, or joked about.

When black girls go into the labor-force, if their name is not what society views as a common name, some jobs may not even acknowledge their applications. Growing up I had a friend who did not feel comfortable putting her entire name on her application when applying for a job. Her name is stereotyped of being “ghetto.” In 2003, a study was shown that for black people with “black” names, only 1 in 15 received a call back about their resumes compared to “white” names who received 1 in 10 call backs for their resumes.

Just because you were named differently does not mean you should be discriminated against. It is not like you asked to be given that name, your parents gave it you. Why should a black girl have to feel like her name is powerless? We as a society have to stop discriminating against one another, which is the first step. Self-evaluation within all of us is well-needed.

Please share any thoughts or opinions!