“Queen Latifah”: Not Everyone Can Live Up To Their Names
USAToday reports: “‘What’s in a name?’ Shakespeare wondered.
“In the case of the exotic names of many African-Americans, we now know. A new study of 55,046 children by University of Florida economist David Figlio found that kids named with prefixes such as “lo,” “ta,” and “qua” and suffixes such as “isha” or “ious” were:”• More likely to score lower on tests.
• Less likely to meet teacher expectations.
• Less likely to receive high-quality attention and instruction.
• Less likely to be referred to gifted programs than more commonly named siblings.
The study found that such names, often associated with lower socioeconomic status, account for 15% of the black-white test score gap, a factor greater than class size or a teacher’s level of expertise.
Anticipating accusations of racism while missing the greater point, the article concludes:
Though the Figlio study might strike some blacks as unfair or even racist, the results point up a more fundamental problem in our communities: Growing up poor in a single-parent home already sets black children back. An exotic name is one more disadvantage.The idea is to remove hurdles, not erect them. Too many black children already suffer from poverty and low self-esteem. Why add another burden?
Well, Jesse? Al? Kweisi?