Unforgettable: The Lives and Passing of Three US American Onomastic Icons

Abstract

Through its sheer volume, the US baby-boom generation brought with it many profound, changes in the US American society. However, the dynamism of this generation cannot be explained solely by its numerical magnitude. The individuals who emerged as the cultural leaders of this generation also demanded widespread systemic changes to the world they had inherited. Rather than meekly conforming to the pre-established norms of a power elite, they demanded revolutionary changes to the pre-existing hierarchies that had systematically disenfranchised women and people of color both at home and abroad. One of the primary tools of this counter-culture was names and naming. This article examines the onomastic legacies of three recently deceased leaders of this protest generation. As will be shown here, their struggle for personal, professional, individual, and social independence continues to serve as an unforgettable role model for today’s generation and beyond.

Keywords:

• autonymy
• Black arts movement
• politics
• obituary
• non-violent protest
• controversy
• baby-boomers

Notes

1. In her autobiography, Natalie Cole explains that her father decided to drop the word-final “s” in his surname once he entered show business (Cole 2000). For more on Ms Cole’s struggle to establish her own name as an artist, see: Cole (2010).

2. “Parental gender disappointment” or “PGA” has been shown to have long-term negative effects on children’s psycho-social development (Aske, Hale, Engels, Raaijmakers, and Meeus 2004; McAdams, Dewell, and Holman 2011; Stattin and Klackenberg-Larsson 1991).

3. In the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, the then 18-year-old Ali won the gold medal in boxing. When he returned home to a segregated Louisville, KY, he was barred from entering a local restaurant, with the owner proudly proclaiming: “We don’t serve niggers!” Disgusted and humiliated, the champion threw his medal into the Ohio River in protest. Four decades later, Ali was chosen to carry the Olympic torch at the Opening Ceremony of the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia. The Olympic Committee awarded Ali a replacement medal. For an interview with Ali’s brother on this event, see: Smithsonian Channel (2016).

4. For footage of Muhammad Ali discussing the origin of his birthname, see the New York Times documentary (Johnson 2016). Interestingly, Ali never formally applied to have his name officially changed. When asked why, he explained that he refused to ask permission to use his chosen name. Technically speaking, however, at the time, an official name change would also have been unnecessary. In the 1960s, a citizen could simply assume a new name. For more, see: Peter (2016).

5. The political activist also went through several name changes over the course of his life. Born “Malcolm Little,” he changed his name to “Malcolm X” to draw attention to the fact that African-Americans had been forced in the US to surrender their original names for those forced upon them by slave owners. Later in his life, he replaced the name Malcolm X with El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz to reflect his Muslim faith. For more, see: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/boxing/2016/07/11/muhammad-ali-name-change-cassius-clay/86956544/

6. His exact words were the following: “Cassius Clay is a slave name. I didn’t choose it, and I didn’t want it. I am Muhammad Ali, a free name, and I insist people use it when speaking to me and of me” (BBC Sports 2016). Many years later, in his memoirs, he reflected: “Changing my name was one of the most important things that happened to me in my life. It freed me from the indignity done to my family by slavemasters who took away our family name and gave my ancestors the master’s name, like they weren’t human beings — only property” (Ali and Ali 2004, 61).

7. In 1967, following his arrest for resisting the draft, Ali issued the following statement: “I strongly object to the fact that so many newspapers have given the American public and the world the impression that I have only two alternatives in taking this stand: either I go to the jail or to the Army. There is another alternative and that alternative is justice” (NAACP Legal Defense Fund 2016). For more on Ali’s political and spiritual transformation, see: Morris (2016).

8. The acronym was based on the full phrase “the Artist formerly known as Prince,” see: http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a44218/prince-1995-esquire-gentleman/

9. Also waging a similar battle at the time was UK singer George Michael who also fought vehemently against his contract with Sony records, a deal which the singer descried as “professional slavery” (Forde 2015).

10. The two other award recipients were Stanley Kramer and Steven Spielberg.