Will you say/spell my name correctly?

I have always loved my name. The spelling, the meaning, the thought my parents took in finding it just for me. It is Hebrew and means “God’s Glory” for those who may not know.

Hands down one of my biggest pet peeves is when people don’t take the time/effort to learn my name. It shows that they don’t respect me enough to do so.

I dreaded whenever there was a substitute teacher because they always said it wrong and the kids would laugh. Random people would claim “oh that’s too hard, got a nickname?” Or the cliche squalls of “Shaniqua! That’s close enough.”

The thing is, my name isn’t difficult to say/spell. We have simply grown up in a system that prioritized European names, white-washed history, and demanded that people of color assimilate. 

Will you put forth the effort to learn and respect names that are unfamiliar to you?