[RSCT] Collecting Stories about Names and Schooling

[Rita Kohli]

Please forward to any relevant listservs or contacts.

Hi! I am working on a project about the names of Students of Color  
and schooling.  I will be composing a letter to teachers about the  
importance of learning and pronouncing names correctly.  As a South  
Asian woman, I know for myself and my family, many of us have had our  
names mispronounced, changed, or we have changed our own names to  
protect ourselves from teasing, disrespect, or just having to repeat  
our names over and over again, just to have it butchered anyway.   
Many of us experience this on a daily basis, even as adults.  But for  
those of us who were educated in the US, often this began when we  
were young students in school.

If you identify as Black, Latina/o, Asian American, Pacific Islander,  
Indigenous, Middle Eastern or mixed race, and have a story about your  
name as it relates to US K-12 schooling, I would love to hear it.   
Examples of what I am looking for are: 1) times when teachers changed  
or mispronounced names, 2) when peers made fun of your name during  
class, and nothing was really done to prevent this, or 3) if you or  
your family changed your name to avoid discrimination.

Your responses will not be tied to your identity, and will only be  
used for academic purposes.  Feel free to skip any questions you feel  
uncomfortable answering.  Please email the responses to Rita Kohli at  
rkohli at ucla.edu :

1.  How do you identify racially or ethnically?

2.  What is your age?

3.  What is your given name, or the name your family called you  
growing up?

4.  How did you get your name? If any, what is the meaning,  
significance or sentiment attached to your name?

5.  In what city did you go to school?

6.  Describe any incidents that involve the mispronouncing, changing  
or disrespect of your name as it relates to school?

7.  How did this experience make you feel about your name, your  
family, or your culture?

8.  Has this experience affected you in any lasting way?

9.  What name do you go by currently?

10.  If you are open to being contacted further or interviewed,  
please include email address and/or phone number.

Thank you all for your time and support of this work!
Rita Kohli
rkohli at ucla.edu

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