On Saturday, CNN's John Blake penned a piece centered around a white woman from western Ohio named LaKiesha. According to Blake, his article was put together in an attempt to highlight what it would be like to be a white person with a "black-sounding" name but a lot of people felt this missed the mark.
After the article started to trend on social media, many Black people took it upon themselves to condemn Blake for insisting they modify their existence to not disrupt society's status quo.
While some white people with "black-sounding" names found the article descriptive of their experience, others spoke out against the piece. To the opponents, Blake's article seems to place their plight over the totality of the Black experience.
Although one must read the piece to fully comprehend Blake's message, the overarching issue that readers find is the modification of oppression. For example, Jerry Seinfeld's birth name is Jerome. But, the fact he could shorten his name to "Jerry" and still proceed with his life is the true issue with "black-sounding" names.
The problem with having a cultural name isn't because it sounds funny or hard to pronounce. Really, the problem is the same issue that has plagued America since its existence. The problem with "black-sounding names" is the same reason good grammar is described as "talking white" or slang is frowned upon until it's mocked by mainstream media. All of which are byproducts of institutionalized racism. So while LaKiesha can pull a Jerry Seinfeld and decide to go by whatever name she wants, John Blake will forever be Black in a country where racial profiling and gun violence exist.
