Names matter. Throughout history, women often couldn't keep or pass on their names. Immigrants were often forced to change their name and now create pseudonyms to assimilate to modern-day society. Enslaved people were not even allowed to know their anscestors' names.
Names are deeply personal. Preferred names, nicknames, government names–these are important cultural signifiers.
Do the namesakes in your community reflect its current demographics, values, and heroes? What kind of a message does it send when seemingly every school is named after a deceased white man–usually one who was rich, a politician, or both.
This website is about paying attention, disrupting the status quo, and making sure that our namesakes reflect our current reality.
