Thanks everyone I have picked a name
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| Mon, 06-05-2006 - 1:27am |
there are stereotypes because people dont want people of color expressing their heritage in such ways as names. it is preferred that we assimilate ourselves and our children and that assimilation begins with giving them non-ethnic names.
a name like Shaniqua is a cool name, and is very popular among black-american women and girls. It is almost isntantly identifiable as Black, and honestly, I like that about it. Some of the names people create, in any race, are just ridiculous. The spellings, the lack of meaning, it all bugs me. And some people choosing regular objects to name their kids (like Apple or Denim-- a white mother and black mother) are equally weird (in my opinion).
i want my son and daughter ( to have a name that reflects our cultural heritage. I cant believe I shying away from so-called "black" names just to avoid stereotypes or people discriminating against my child (which will happen). If I have a girl, she will be called KAMEA (Female - Hawaiian)
Precious One Pronounced Ka-MAY-ah. :)

I'm sort of jumping in here because I may have missed the beginning of this discussion. But, for what it's worth, I object to "weird" names of all types...Denim, Apple, and Shaniqua...not because of any objection to expression of heritage, but just because these names don't appeal to me aesthetically. Many ethnic names are difficult to spell or pronounce, and that's an automatic turn-off for me. In addition, many look made-up, which is another turn-off. There are quite a few traditional African-American names that do appeal to me, though, just as there are names from many other heritages that appeal to me. I don't think that necessarily means that I'm in favor of any sort of assimilation of heritages, though.
I really like Kamea, for what it's worth.
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Kamea is a beautiful choice -- congratulations on making a decision! And interestingly, I don't see Kamea as a traditionally black name at all. I recognized it as having a Hawaiian sound (even before you pointed out the origin), but I could picture it on a child from almost anywhere around the world. It's a very universal-sounding name to my ears.
Again, beautiful choice.
Stephanie