Names Matter
Videos and Case Studies
In the videos and case studies below, students share personal reflections on why names matter. When educators and peers make the effort to learn and use someone’s name correctly, it sends a powerful message: it’s not just about getting it right, it’s about showing respect, care, and belonging. These stories invite you to think about how our everyday language choices can shape someone’s sense of being seen and valued. Honouring a name is one small but meaningful step toward creating inclusive spaces where everyone feels recognized and respected.
Your English Is So Good – video
Reflection Questions
- What assumptions did people make about Dr. Ho based on her name or appearance, and how did those assumptions affect her experience in academic spaces?
- Have you ever witnessed or received comments like “Your English is so good”? What do you think those comments might unintentionally communicate, and how can we respond more thoughtfully?
Giving Myself an English Name – video
Reflection Questions
- What does Justin’s story reveal about the pressures immigrants and racialized individuals may feel to change parts of their identity like their name in order to be accepted?
- How can we create environments where people feel they don’t have to change or simplify their names to be seen, respected, or remembered?
Local, but never enough – Case study
Meet Mei Zen, a 25-year-old second generation Asian Canadian and has been working at her small towns community newspaper for the last 10 months. She lives in a predominantly white community therefore was not completely surprised to find she is the only Asian person working at the office. Mei Zen is a great writer and loves her community where she was born and raised but her boss hasn’t given her a chance to write any stories.
Mei Zen decides that she will take initiative to write and present to her boss an article about the history of the local museum. When her boss provides feedback on the article she claims that although the writing is good she doesn’t think Mei Zen really can understand the heart of the community because of her background. Mei Zen instantly defends herself and explains that she was born and grew up here and this is the only community she has even known. Her boss is taken aback; she admits to Mei Zen that she was not assigning her articles because she assumed she was from China. Mei Zen is hurt and explains that her parents immigrated here and they are active members of the community, does where they were born make them less worthy of having their voices heard? Mei Zens boss lets out a big sigh, and offers to run her piece but only if her name was anglicized to ‘May’.
Reflection Questions
- How do you think Mei Zen feels about her boss’s assumption and the proposal to anglicize her name? What emotions might she be experiencing?
- Reflect on the impact of Mei Zen’s boss’s assumptions about her background. How can such assumptions affect a person’s professional growth and self-esteem?
- Mei Zen defended her identity and connection to the community. Discuss why it is important for Mei Zen to assert her identity in this situation. What might be the consequences of not speaking up?
- Analyze the suggestion from Mei Zen’s boss to change her name for publication. What does this suggest about the boss’s understanding of diversity and inclusion?
- What could Mei Zen’s boss do differently to foster a more inclusive and respectful workplace environment?
- Consider the role of systemic bias in this scenario. How might unconscious biases affect decision-making in a workplace?
- If you were in Mei Zen’s position, how would you handle the situation moving forward? Would you agree to the name change to get your article published?
- What strategies can be implemented in a workplace to prevent similar situations from occurring? How can employees and leaders be educated about diversity and inclusion?
Dead Naming – video
Reflection Questions
Consider these words shared in the interview: “Deadnaming a trans person in a sense is kind of denying them of their humanity because instead of making them feel welcome and included as they are, you are othering them and making them feel less than publicly”.
- What does the student’s experience tell us about the emotional and social impact of being deadnamed? How might this affect a person’s sense of safety, identity, and belonging in educational space
- Why do names matter in affirming someone’s identity, especially for transgender and nonbinary people? Can you recall a time when using or hearing the correct name made a meaningful difference to someone?
- How might deadnaming, even when unintentional, contribute to a broader culture of exclusion or marginalization? What does it communicate to the person being deadnamed, and to others witnessing it?
- What steps can you take (as a student or educator) to ensure you are respecting and affirming people’s identities through language? How can we create learning environments where everyone feels seen and valued?
Every Name is a Story – video
Reflection Questions
The student says, “I don’t know where to turn. Should I should use a nickname or my legal name, which gets mispronounced as neither connects me to the culture I like.”
How do you think it feels to have to choose between a name that gets mispronounced and one that doesn’t feel like you? How do names shape our sense of identity, and what message is sent when someone repeatedly mispronounces or changes another person’s name?
