Edited by Azizi Powell
Part A of this pancocojams post consists of a reprint of a comment that I shared in a 2005 Mudcat folk music discussion thread and then published in my 2011 pancocojams post entitled "How I Got My African Name".
Part A also includes a comment that I wrote in 2011 for that same pancocojams post which provides further information about my African name "Azizi", and how my husband and I gave our children "African" names.
Part B of this post consists of a comment exchange ithat I had with a man who read that 2011 pancocojams post and asked me whether I considered myself to be "afrocentric."
The content of this post is presented for cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to John, NY (who initially used the name "NewYorkMan") for his comments.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-afrocentric-meanings-of-terms-slave.html for a closely related 2017 pancocojams post entitled "The Afrocentric Meanings Of The Terms "Slave Names" & "Free Names" In The 1960s & 1970s United States & Quotes On Distinctive African American Names".
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/06/my-comments-about-newark-black-cultural.html for a related pancocojams post entitled "My Comments About The Newark Black Cultural National Organization (Committee For Unified Newark/CFUN) 1967-1969"
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HOW THIS REPRINT CAME ABOUT
On June 10, 2024, I revisited the pancocojams post entitled "How I Got My African Name" in search of a comment that I remember writing in response to a question from another visitor to this blog who had asked me about my experiences with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. It turns out that particular comment isn't in the "How I Got My African Name" post, but I'm glad that visiting that post gave me the opportunity to re-read it, and that re-read resulted in this reprinted post.
If I don't find the comment I was looking for and my response to it, I'll re-write that response and include it in a post that I plan to write about joining Alpha Kappa Alpha and then becoming inactive to join a cultural nationalist organization. When that post is published, I'll share its link here.
-snip-
That 2011 pancocojams post entitled "How I Got My African Name" also includes a comment that I wrote in 2012 and published in the comment section for a 2008 post on afroeurope.blogspot.com*. My comment was written in response to a true story that one of the editors of that blog had shared about a Nigerian man who moved to Poland and changed both of his names, replacing them with European names.
Amazingly, in 2015, that Nigerian man posted a comment in that pancocojams discussion section about the meanings of his African names and why he replaced those names.
I plan to publish a pancocojams post that reprints that section of that post with the comment that I wrote for that afroeurope blog and the comment that was published on pancocojams by that Nigerian man. I'll add a link to that post here when it is published.
-snip-
June 10,2024 -
*Afroeuropean" was the referent that the editors and most of the members of that blog used to describe themselves i.e. people of some African descent who live/d in Europe. I was a late comer to that blog which unfortunately ended not long after I joined (even though I wasn't of afro-european descent,)**
** I decided to do a google search to see if I could find any posts for afro-europe.blogspot and was surprised to find this active link: https://afroeurope.blogspot.com/
One of the posts is dated March 2024, and some posts are from as long ago as 2013 and 2014. I wonder if this is a re-incarnation of the "old" afroeurope.blogspot.com that I was briefly familiar with.
***
HOW I GOT MY AFRICAN NAME
Written by Azizi Powell,
"In the late 1960s I was a member of a organization that focused on African culture. Like other members of that group, I wanted an African personal name. My male friend at that time, Zayd, said he would give me an African name. And because I just loved loved loved him, I said I would accept the name that he selected. So out of the kindness of his soon to be cheatin heart, Zayd gave me a choice of two names-either "Aziza": Arabic for "one who is rare & precious" or "Azizi": Kiswahili with the same meaning.
Back in those days {and now} a lot of female names given to African Americans from the Arabic language and other language sources {as well as names which are creatively 'made up'} end with the 'ah" sound, names like "Keisha", "Maisha", "Malika", "Fatimah", "Kadisha", "Aaliyah". I liked the idea of "Azizi" because it sounded more unique.
But in those days {and still today} there was also a brand of makeup called "Aziza". The REAL reason why I choose 'Azizi' instead of 'Aziza' is that I didn't want to give somebody the opportunity to look at me and say "Aziza, you forgot your make-up, girl."
So I've been 'Azizi' now for 37 years-and I try to live up to that name with or without wearing makeup."
-Azizi Powell
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A COMMENT ABOUT MY AFRICAN NAME AND MY FAMILY'S AFRICAN NAMES
[June 10, 2024- The only change that I made to this comment is a spelling correction.]
Azizi, September 1, 2011
"In the late 1960s and the 1970s, afro-centric African Americans referred to our biological personal names & biological and married surnames (last names) as "slave names" if those names were of European or Hebrew origin. And we referred to the Arabic or traditional African language names that we choose or were given as "free names". Usually people just chose or were given an African/Arabic first name, and kept their biological or married last name. That's what I did.
Most of the people I know don't know my "real" first name (I'm not tellin' lol). The name "Azizi" is very real to me, but I've never legally changed it. I introduce myself using that name, and friends have sometimes shortened it to "Z". I'm retired now, but when I worked I asked people to call me "Azizi", saying that that is my "nickname". I just found that it was easier to do that then to get into this explanation (for White people). Sometimes I'm asked if I am Muslim, and I respond that I'm not nor have I ever been (not that there's anything wrong with being Muslim).
My former husband & I named our children African first and middle names. One son's first name is Yoruba, the other son's first name is a shortened form of a Yoruba name, and my daughter's first name is a blend of part of my name and part of my then husband's "free name" (African name). I consider her name to be African too, although it's not traditional African. I'm basing that on the position that African Americans are an African people]
I'm curious about the experiences of other African Americans who changed their names during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. (or after those dates, but it seems to me that after the 1980s a number of African Americans were routinely naming their children Arabic/African names at birth rather than those children changing their names when they got older.
I think that more African Americans have traditional Arabic names (and African American variants of those names) in part because we know more Arabic names than names from traditional African languages besides Swahili. The other reason why Arabic/Swahili names are more often found among African Americans is that those names are relatively easy for us to pronounce as they generally conform to our (American) English pronunciation & gender "rules"."...
-snip-
That comment included a link to a cocojams.com page about Names and Nicknames. However, I de-activated my cocojams.com cultural blog in October 2014 and didn't save any of the content from that Names and Nicknames page.
I've chosen not to include any of my family's names in this particular post, but as a result of re-reading my comment on this subject in June 2024, I realize that it doesn't mention that my former husband (who passed away three years ago) most often used and was usually known by the European first name that he was given at birth. However, some of his friends only referred to him by his African first name. I'm not sure how he got his African name which is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. but I know that he had that name before I met him.
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PART B - COMMENT EXCHANGE ABOUT WHETHER I CONSIDER MYSELF TO BE AFROCENTRIC"
Pancocojame Editor: These comments are given in chronological order and are numbered for referencing purposes only. The only changes to these comments is a correction in the blog name that I gave in one of those comments and one spelling correction that I made in one of my comments below.
1.
John, NY, December 20, 2013 at 8:37 AM
“Of course, if an African American or other Black people
from the African Diaspora doesn't change his or her name, that doesn't mean
that he or she doesn't honor or celebrate his or her African ancestry/heritage.
But giving those names to oneself or one's children can symbolize that
recognition….I'm basing that on the position that African Americans are an
African people.”
Hi Azizi. Would you consider yourself to be Afrocentric?"
2.
Reply
"Greetings, NewYorkMan.
My response to the question "Do I consider myself to be
Afrocentric?" depends on the definition of "afrocentric".
I definitely believe that "the contributions of various African people have been downplayed or discredited as part of the legacy of colonialism and slavery's pathology of "writing Africans out of history" to quote http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrocentrism.
However, I don't believe that everything good originated in Africa and/or from people of African descent as some people think that people who are afrocentic believe.
I hope for and work toward a time when race, ethnicity, skin color have no positive or negative valuation.
Instead of being centered on race & ethnicity, I
consider myself to be striving to express "aspects" of my Sagittarius
Sun, Aquarius Moon, Virgo Ascendant etc. soul in this incarnation through my online activities and
otherwise."
**
3.
Reply
Azizi Powell, December 20, 2013 at 12:34 PM
"I should have added that I still believe one way for people
of [some] African descent to honor their African heritage is to give themselves
and/or their children a name from a traditional African language (including
Arabic since that language has been in Africa for centuries).
Furthermore, given the racism against Black people that still exist in the world, learning about and celebrating the achievements of Black people -in the arts and otherwise) are important to the developing and reinforcing of Black self-esteem and group esteem. And learning about & celebrating those achievements are also important for non-Black people.
In addition, with reference to this pancocojams blog and my other online website (only one of which https://cocojams2.blogspot.com that I devote any attention to) - I get a sense of accomplishment from my online postings. I love learning new things from the research that I do for many of my posts and I like sharing the information and videos etc that I find.
All of that which I have mentioned are the reasons why I post online on this blog and on my other cultural blogs.
4.
Reply
Azizi Powell, December 20, 2013 at 12:43 PM
"One more thing I should have mentioned is that I like
learning from people who share information regarding the songs or dances or
customs etc. that are the subjects of my posts.
**
5.
Reply
John, NY, December 20, 2013 at 6:02 PM
"Hi Azizi. When you said your answer “depends on the
definition of ‘Afrocentric’" I know what you mean. The “Afrocentrists” I
usually encounter tend to be racist and more about rewriting history to their
liking and less about pursuing truth.
I believe that “the contributions of various African people have been downplayed or discredited” may have merit. If information can be substantiated with evidence that stands up to scrutiny, I would want the truth to be known.
Just as those Afrocentrists want to believe “that everything good originated in Africa and/or from people of African descent,” they would also want to believe nothing good originated from Europe or people of European descent, which is absurd. No doubt about it that there are unpleasant aspects (including racism) to the history of Europeans and people of European descent. But for them to disregard the positive aspects and characterize the whole lot as racist imperialists is racist and hypocritical. I don’t want to replace one racist ideology with another.
I think it is fine to learn about and celebrate achievements of African Americans, but I think we should avoid conflating it with self-esteem. I think that does more harm than good. I think we would be better off if we approach history with more objectivity and avoid personalizing it.
But I agree with what you said here: “I hope for and work toward a time when race, ethnicity, skin color have no positive or negative valuation.” "
**
6.
Reply
Azizi Powell, December 21, 2013 at 5:39 AM
"New York Man, while I had no problem answering your question
about whether I am an Afrocentrist, I don't go around asking Black people
online or offline are they "Afrocentrists", and I've not had any
Black people I know use that descriptor for themselves or for other Black
people. I don't know how many Black people you encounter who are Afrocentrists,
but I don't think your descriptor is accurate for all or even for most
Afrocentrists. I've read that some Afrocentrists believe that every thing good
came from Africa or people of African descent and/or nothing good originated
from Europe or people of European descent. But I guess unless there is a
quality survey of Black people or even of African Americans-who are a portion
of Black people-we'll never know what percentage of Black folks are actually
Afrocentrists and how many of those Afrocentrists actually believe what you
wrote they believe.
I'm not White, but it seems to me that many if not most White people conflate the historical and present day achievements of White people throughout the world with their own self-esteem, After all, group esteem is an important component of self-esteem. For that reason, I have no problem with the fact that the historical and present day accomplishments of Black people throughout the world are used to help Black people develop and reinforce our self-esteem and our group esteem.
And with those points, I choose to decline to respond to any other questions on this comment thread about race, racism, and afrocentricity."
7.
Reply
John, NY, December 21, 2013 at 9:34 AM
"The term “Afro-centric” can be subjective and that is why I
asked if you considered yourself to be. It was partially prompted by your
earlier comment making reference to “Afro-centric African Americans.” I believe
this was the first time I asked anyone that question.
I don’t personally know anyone who either I would describe or he or she would self-describe that way. When I am talking about those I “encounter” it is not people I personally know (that I am aware of), but those who I have read or heard on the internet, radio or other media.
As far as my comment regarding self-esteem, perhaps I didn’t make it clear that my comment would apply to all ethnicities. I don’t want white people to conflate history with self-esteem any more than any other group.
Although we have a disagreement on the above matter and I
sense you may misunderstand where I am coming from, I still think you are a
reasonable woman. If I didn’t think so, I would have not engaged in this
discussion."
**
Reply
Azizi Powell, August 14, 2015 at 4:45 AM
" NewYorkMan,
I'm just reading your December 21, 2013 at 9:34 AM comment.
I appreciate your taking the time to write that comment, and want you to know that I didn't purposely fail to respond to it.
As to your comment that you "don’t want white people to conflate history with self-esteem any more than any other group.", I believe that group esteem influences a person's self-esteem. And history helps influence group esteem. Therefore, the history of a person's group (race, ethnicity, nationality etc) can influence how he or she feels about himself or herself.
For example, if Black children only learn in depth European history and not in depth African history, they may mistakenly believe that only White people can be kings or queens. And, one result of that belief, is likely to be a heightened appreciation for White people and a lessened appreciation for non-White people...
I hope this helps clarify what I wrote years ago.
Best wishes!"
9.
Reply
John, NY, August 14, 2015 at 5:36 PM
"Thanks for your comment, Azizi. I understand your point. I
think this dialogue is constructive. It was nice to get your feedback."
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This concludes this comment exchange that I had with John, N. Y. I also found that dialogue to be constructive and reiterate my best wishes to him.
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