Namibia Little: I Love My Name

Can you give some background on your piece? What inspired you to write “I Love My Name”? 

I was inspired by my unique name and the negative response I received as a child in school. I have come to learn the importance of children embracing their name and teaching our diverse community to welcome diverse and nontraditional names. Adults always had a hard time pronouncing my name and instead of taking time to learn my name, adults often tried to abbreviate it. In retrospect, it was shortening my name and my identity.  

Why do you believe it is so important for Black children to love their names? What message are you trying to share with your readers?

It is important for all children to love their names because it is a part of their cultural identity, a reflection of their unique family, and historically in America many communities of color were denied the right to have and embrace nontraditional names. The message I am trying to share with readers is it is vital to encourage children to embrace their names, learn the meaning, and be able to teach and share it with others. Teaching children to embrace their names builds confidence in themselves, their community, and culture. It also teaches children to embrace other cultures that may be different and to broaden their cultural awareness.

I love that each of the children in your piece have knowledge of where their name came from and why they love it. Beyond this story, how can we further encourage Black youth to love their names and themselves? 

We can further encourage youth to love their names and themselves by adults being examples through demonstration. Also, teachers and other educators are instrumental in this by taking time to accurately pronounce a student’s name.

“I Love My Name” is your first published piece, can you tell us about your journey as a writer?

I became interested in writing from my grandfather, my mother, and an enjoyment of reading. My grandfather, Matthew Little, was a featured writer in the Spokesman Recorder and he purchased me a subscription of the newspaper so I was blessed to read his articles. My family members are avid readers and so I took on this love as well at a young age. In high school I read books by Assata Shakur, Elaine Brown, and Sister Souljah. My love and appreciation for reading continued when I matriculated to Tuskegee University as a required book was Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington. My love for reading developed into an interest for writing poetry and short stories.  

What was your process in writing this story and choosing these powerful names? 

I selected names of power and beautiful people in my life. They are also names that are recognizable in the Black community.

Do you have any advice for children who want to be writers? Especially Black children?

Advice for children who want to be writers is to start by reading a variety of books (especially Black history books), write in a journal, and take opportunities to share your writing and be open to feedback.

Do you have any other projects we should look out for?

Yes, I am working on other books for children and youth. I plan to publish “I Love My Name” as a workbook for children to write in their name and meaning.