‘Black’ Names A Resume Burden?
When Vonnessa Goode gives birth in a few weeks, one of her first decisions could be among the toughest: whether to give her daughter a distinctively black name.
On the one hand, Goode and the child’s father don’t want their daughter “robbed of her ethnicity,” she said. On the other, she believes a distinctively black name could end up being an economic impediment.
“I do believe now when a resume comes across an employer’s desk they could be easily discriminated against because they know that person is of African-America descent,” she said. “It’s a difficult decision.”
Minorities of all kinds have wrestled with whether to celebrate their culture by giving their children distinctive names, or help them “blend in” with a name that won’t stick out. Thousands of Jews have changed their names, hoping to improve their economic prospects in the face of discrimination, as have Asians and other minorities.
Blacks, however, have chosen increasingly distinctive names over the past century, with the trend accelerating during the 1960s.
Researchers who have looked at Census records have found that 100 years ago, the 20 most popular names were largely the same for blacks and whites; now only a handful are among the most popular with both groups. Names like DeShawn and Shanice are almost exclusively black, while whites, whose names have also become increasingly distinctive, favored names like Cody and Caitlin.
Read the whole story at CBS News
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