The 1010 Advocacy in Action project papers are due this week. One
of my teams submitted a report with everyone’s last names included, except the
last name of one of my “Third World” immigrant students. I am openly
shocked that the team (or at least the document submitter) would think this is remotely
okay! I sent back a “submission comment”: “Why is ____’s last name
missing when everyone else’s is included? Immediately add ____’s last name to the cover page and resubmit. I will not grade this
report until the change is reflected.”
What the actual FUCK!? Is this a thing—if it’s too hard to spell, just leave it out?! I’m finally
calming down, but I was immediately fucking PISSED when I saw what appears to
be a deliberate omission of a colonially marginalized surname. I
thought, “This is more than a micro-aggression—this is
colonization!” And I won’t stand for it. #fromthefrontdesk
I thought of bell hooks, of course. When I am deeply vexed, I ask myself, “What would bell hooks do?”. I think bell hooks would
want me to struggle against the process of the domestic colonization of
immigrant last names.
And that’s what I’m going to do.
I am going to make a blanket announcement tomorrow to both of my
1010 sections and remind them: Do not omit a person’s name just
because it may be “difficult” for you to spell! Diversity is a very
real thing and your world will only become MORE diverse, in this
country. Get used to the idea that you will encounter names that you
may have a “hard time” pronouncing and spelling. ASK and LEARN how
to pronounce names that you think you may need help pronouncing, and
immediately begin saying (or at least spelling) that name correctly!
I grew up with a “long” last name (De La Rocha), and now as a
married adult I have a “difficult” last name (Fajardo). I do realize
that I may be personally dialed into this situation because of my experience
having my last names omitted, mumbled over, and even mocked. For
example:
Xenophobe: “What’s the last name?”
Me: “De La Rocha.”
Xenophobe: “Bless You!”
The EXACT same interaction has occurred with my married
name. Still further:
Xenophobe: “What’s the last name?”
Me: “Fajardo.”
Xenophobe: “Fajitas? Chicken or Beef?”
#pleasedon't
So, yeah. When I saw an immigrant last name omitted, I
was incensed. This otherization, minimization—nay, fear—of
multiculturalism and nonwhite surnames will NOT remain unchallenged in my
classrooms.
Last names and pronouns, y’all: Learn them, practice
them, and use them correctly. #pleasedo
Much more on decolonizing places and spaces, up next!
Much more on decolonizing places and spaces, up next!
AMEN SISTER! I know that for me personally, on the first day of class I went through each student's name beforehand and practiced each name that I thought might be difficult for me. When it came to the very first day of taking roll, I pronounced the best I could and eagerly wrote notes to help me for next time if I fucked it up. I have had professors who would simply say the first initial in order to avoid pronouncing the last name, which is bullshit and shows that they do not care enough about other cultures to even try or learn. We cannot do as the best college teachers do (thanks, Bain!) until we learn to acknowledge our own privilege and work to empower others.
ReplyDeleteI have not came across this problem, but it is definitely something I forget about because my name is so generic. Now that I have become a teacher (guide) I have a firsthand look from the other side or #FromtheFrontDesk view and these things happen daily. Thank you for sharing your story with us, and I feel like this is something I should add to my syllabus for next semester! I think I'll call it the Inclusionary Clause? May need to work on the name!
ReplyDeleteLISTEN! First of all, this is COMM 1010 and you should COMMUNICATE with your group to get an understanding of how to pronounce names. I have student in my class who is Nigerian and the has a name that I had to ask how to pronounce, etc. I accidently spelled it wrong on the roll sheet while rushing to do my attendance rosters, the student immediately corrected it and asked for it to be fixed. I could tell that they were a bit upset and I understand. Our names are important. They hold value and they mean something and our students deserve the respect. I am not surprised but hey, "This is America"
ReplyDeleteRUTH I LOVE THIS! I LOVE that you set this precedent that everyone, regardless of last name "difficulty", deserves to be fairly represented in a project that they contributed to! Like Kimmy said, names are important. They represent a lineage that shows often where we and our families come from. Not allowing the erasure of your student's name in the project is something that they probably won't ever even know about, but something that is a very important to enforce within your groups. I appreciate you not looking at this as a little thing to brush off, but recognizing the magnitude of a "little thing" and stopping it where it started.
ReplyDelete