| Monday, April 11, 2005 |
| A Roshanda by Any Other Name - How do babies with super-black names fare? |
On the surface, this would appear to be a somewhat racist article, but it's actually kind of interesting, and points out inherent flaws in a "cause and effect" basis for the statement made. It also explains what we refer to in my nieghborhood as the "eesha" syndrome. At the market closest to my house, which is arguably in not the nicest, wealthiest, or safest part of town, the checkout girls are known as "eeshas": Tyeesha, Loeesha, Raeesha, Kyeesha, etc., with a wide variety of spellings throughout. The data show that, on average, a person with a distinctively black name—whether it is a woman named Imani or a man named DeShawn—does have a worse life outcome than a woman named Molly or a man named Jake. But it isn't the fault of his or her name. If two black boys, Jake Williams and DeShawn Williams, are born in the same neighborhood and into the same familial and economic circumstances, they would likely have similar life outcomes. But the kind of parents who name their son Jake don't tend to live in the same neighborhoods or share economic circumstances with the kind of parents who name their son DeShawn. And that's why, on average, a boy named Jake will tend to earn more money and get more education than a boy named DeShawn. DeShawn's name is an indicator—but not a cause—of his life path.
For the top 20 names list - click here. According to this list, the checkout girls should be names Jasmine instead. |
posted by Broadsheet @ 10:27 AM   |
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