I have students with Chinese or African names who rename themselves in English names so others do not have to struggle to say them correctly, For example, Tsepo is changed to Ryan. The Hollywood story is not surprising. It is an industry dominated by white people looking to make money. The practice of changing a person's name because English speakers could not pronounce it is very old. My relatives entered the USA through Ellis Island. Asunta became Anna on official papers. Pronouncing names is a big deal. I am sure I have butchered a name or two in my career and have not been aware of my arrogance or aggression. As my student population became more diverse over the years, I started making more of an effort to say names correctly. I created my own pronunciation key to remember how to say the students' names
