In this episode of RadioActive Youth Media, Keya Roy and her co-host Zuheera Ali talk with author Ijeoma Oluo and each other about living in the United States with uncommon names. They also talk to Rita Kohli, a professor at University of California, Riverside, who has researched the effects of mispronouncing names on students of color.Needless to say Zathura, Kayak and I-owe-ya have unusual names that can be difficult to pronounce.
Producer Medha Kumar has her name butchered constantly. Every time a teacher reads the attendance list and gets to her name, she knows they’re looking at her name because they’re squinting. It’s one of those super awkward moments.
Back in our professorial days, when we took roll for the first time and came to a difficult name, we'd start saying it, or say it with a question mark, or simply say, 'You're gonna have to give me a hand on this one'. The student with a difficult name was usually prepared and told us how to pronounce the name. Becuase this is how life goes.
By the way, it occured to us a few years ago that our thousands of readers misprononce Stroock. Our name is not pronounced Stroock rhymes with duke, but Stroock rhymes with book.
We don't make a big deal about it because it's been happening to us for 45 years now and we just don't care.
Grow up, girlies.
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