what is the scariest question someone
could ask you I asked a few people this
a couple months ago and these were their
responses are your plans off to
university if you die today do you think
God will be pleased with you and my
favorite why are you so single if you
had asked me this question a few years
ago should I say the answer undoubtedly
would have been what is your name as
trivial as the question may seem it used
to strike so much fear into me to the
point that I used to avoid social events
because the conversation always followed
a very scripted manner this calls me to
unofficially adopt my English name now
let’s fast forward for a second and jump
to year 11 11 at the time everyone goes
off to six warm college and they use it
to rebrand themselves and for those who
don’t know legally my name is also
Jennifer so for those who may have
guessed I decided that I was going to
literally change my first name –
Jennifer so I came to my dad in a very
format in a very formal fashion because
my dad is a very formal man I said dad I
want to change my first name – Jennifer
his answer was as follows
no no followed by a very harsh you are
African you’re Nigerian most importantly
you are a bow you should be proud and if
I hear you mention this again there’s
going to be serious problems he me and
you either way the conversation always
ended up with me looking like this so
after being rejected for the fast of
time I decided you know what let me ask
myself why do I dislike my name or more
importantly why do people dislike my
name why do people make fun of my name
and not Hannah’s so I decided to think
about the first time I ever felt
uncomfortable because of my name and the
earliest that I could recall was in
reception so I have a question for the
audience please raise your hand if you
have ever asked or
it or have been asked what is your
African name for balance and usually the
person of the least English sounding
name that person always being me would
be would be taunted for the rest of of
the day so I took a step further I
decided to go into my corporate life I
have another question for you guys who
here has ever changed their name when a
CV or application because they felt that
it would increase their chances of
getting a job again you’re not alone and
started down by the NBER faculty so that
when five thousand CVS were sent out all
with the same credentials but with one
difference that difference being a name
there was a 50% difference in cool back
rates this means that I’ve seen as an
employer sees your name they already
start practicing unconscious bias they
start to create a stereotype about you
they see for example my name adobe add
eBay
applying for an electrical electronic
engineering internship they see that I’m
African they see that I’m black they see
that I’m a female and the two don’t fit
the narrative should I say so I had all
of this information and I said you know
what I want to make a change and the
best way to make any sort of change is
to always start with with yourself so I
decided to learn more about my history
and my culture for those who don’t know
as well I am a bow and arrow is one of
the largest free tribes in Nigeria I
learned about the meaning of my name
which means first also of the compound I
learned about the every woman’s war
where ten thousand every women decided
to fight the colonial regime in order to
be more actively included in government
and politics I learned about to amanda
Adichie who is my personal favorite
feminist icon as well as Chinua Achebe
who both decided to actively tackle the
false narrative of Africans through
fictional storytelling I learn about
chiwetel ejiofor one of the most famous
black British actors of our time he was
recently nominated for an Academy Award
for his role in 12 years a slave as well
as bringing to life
a Yellow Sun I decided to learn more
about my parents my dad who currently
has four degrees including two masters
and a PhD founded and still runs he’s an
African academic publishing company
lectures at two different universities
and recently started his own think-tank
in order to help build the better
African policies I learn more about my
mother
my mother who has a degree in free at
Chaco Arts and took up a second degree
in nursing because she wanted to give us
a better life as well as teaching me how
to be unapologetically myself have
unwavering confidence and most
importantly to be kind without expecting
anything in return and the one thing
that I have in common with all of these
people is that we are all able your
Nigerian we are all African and most
importantly we are all black and it is
my honor to be able to share that with
the world by saying my name and saying
it correctly and so I’m not asking for
all of you guys here today to go off and
wear your name as a badge but I’m asking
for those of ethnic sounding names like
mine to take a step forward to embrace
your culture to learn about your history
to really challenge your narrative I am
a black African female from South London
who is doing electrical and electronic
engineering at a Russell group
University team lead of a venture
capital firm of 2 million pounds and I
will start my own successful venture
capital firm challenge or narrative
challenge or narrative and reclaim your
identity and for those who don’t have an
ethnic sounding name take a step forward
ask yourself am I being unconsciously
bias am i creating a stereotype and
perpetuating a false narrative and if
you see your colleague doing the same
thing
call them out on it I’m asking for all
of us to take a step forward together to
dismantle what has been embedded in
society for far too long let’s all
challenge the narrative and reclaim our
identity so I’m not sure if any of you
guys noticed
but I did not introduce myself properly
so we’ve given the chance I would like
to do so hi my name is Adobe Adobe add
eBay what’s yours
Thanks
[Applause]
could ask you I asked a few people this
a couple months ago and these were their
responses are your plans off to
university if you die today do you think
God will be pleased with you and my
favorite why are you so single if you
had asked me this question a few years
ago should I say the answer undoubtedly
would have been what is your name as
trivial as the question may seem it used
to strike so much fear into me to the
point that I used to avoid social events
because the conversation always followed
a very scripted manner this calls me to
unofficially adopt my English name now
let’s fast forward for a second and jump
to year 11 11 at the time everyone goes
off to six warm college and they use it
to rebrand themselves and for those who
don’t know legally my name is also
Jennifer so for those who may have
guessed I decided that I was going to
literally change my first name –
Jennifer so I came to my dad in a very
format in a very formal fashion because
my dad is a very formal man I said dad I
want to change my first name – Jennifer
his answer was as follows
no no followed by a very harsh you are
African you’re Nigerian most importantly
you are a bow you should be proud and if
I hear you mention this again there’s
going to be serious problems he me and
you either way the conversation always
ended up with me looking like this so
after being rejected for the fast of
time I decided you know what let me ask
myself why do I dislike my name or more
importantly why do people dislike my
name why do people make fun of my name
and not Hannah’s so I decided to think
about the first time I ever felt
uncomfortable because of my name and the
earliest that I could recall was in
reception so I have a question for the
audience please raise your hand if you
have ever asked or
it or have been asked what is your
African name for balance and usually the
person of the least English sounding
name that person always being me would
be would be taunted for the rest of of
the day so I took a step further I
decided to go into my corporate life I
have another question for you guys who
here has ever changed their name when a
CV or application because they felt that
it would increase their chances of
getting a job again you’re not alone and
started down by the NBER faculty so that
when five thousand CVS were sent out all
with the same credentials but with one
difference that difference being a name
there was a 50% difference in cool back
rates this means that I’ve seen as an
employer sees your name they already
start practicing unconscious bias they
start to create a stereotype about you
they see for example my name adobe add
eBay
applying for an electrical electronic
engineering internship they see that I’m
African they see that I’m black they see
that I’m a female and the two don’t fit
the narrative should I say so I had all
of this information and I said you know
what I want to make a change and the
best way to make any sort of change is
to always start with with yourself so I
decided to learn more about my history
and my culture for those who don’t know
as well I am a bow and arrow is one of
the largest free tribes in Nigeria I
learned about the meaning of my name
which means first also of the compound I
learned about the every woman’s war
where ten thousand every women decided
to fight the colonial regime in order to
be more actively included in government
and politics I learned about to amanda
Adichie who is my personal favorite
feminist icon as well as Chinua Achebe
who both decided to actively tackle the
false narrative of Africans through
fictional storytelling I learn about
chiwetel ejiofor one of the most famous
black British actors of our time he was
recently nominated for an Academy Award
for his role in 12 years a slave as well
as bringing to life
a Yellow Sun I decided to learn more
about my parents my dad who currently
has four degrees including two masters
and a PhD founded and still runs he’s an
African academic publishing company
lectures at two different universities
and recently started his own think-tank
in order to help build the better
African policies I learn more about my
mother
my mother who has a degree in free at
Chaco Arts and took up a second degree
in nursing because she wanted to give us
a better life as well as teaching me how
to be unapologetically myself have
unwavering confidence and most
importantly to be kind without expecting
anything in return and the one thing
that I have in common with all of these
people is that we are all able your
Nigerian we are all African and most
importantly we are all black and it is
my honor to be able to share that with
the world by saying my name and saying
it correctly and so I’m not asking for
all of you guys here today to go off and
wear your name as a badge but I’m asking
for those of ethnic sounding names like
mine to take a step forward to embrace
your culture to learn about your history
to really challenge your narrative I am
a black African female from South London
who is doing electrical and electronic
engineering at a Russell group
University team lead of a venture
capital firm of 2 million pounds and I
will start my own successful venture
capital firm challenge or narrative
challenge or narrative and reclaim your
identity and for those who don’t have an
ethnic sounding name take a step forward
ask yourself am I being unconsciously
bias am i creating a stereotype and
perpetuating a false narrative and if
you see your colleague doing the same
thing
call them out on it I’m asking for all
of us to take a step forward together to
dismantle what has been embedded in
society for far too long let’s all
challenge the narrative and reclaim our
identity so I’m not sure if any of you
guys noticed
but I did not introduce myself properly
so we’ve given the chance I would like
to do so hi my name is Adobe Adobe add
eBay what’s yours
Thanks
[Applause]
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