I Used To Be A Teacher. I Made It Part Of My Job To Do This 1 Critical Thing For My Students Of Color.

A former New Orleans teacher writes about making correct pronunciation of students' names part of her practice, describing what researchers call 'roll call anxiety' among students whose names fall outside dominant naming traditions. She cites the National Education Association's research linking name mispronunciation to feelings of exhaustion, embarrassment and diminished belonging at school.

The essay extends the argument beyond classrooms to professional sports, noting how Black athletes with names of African origin, including WNBA Players Association president Nnemkadi 'Nneka' Chinwe Ogwumike, often go by nicknames rather than have their full names learned or used by commentators and audiences.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.