Illustration by Nhung Lê

America Ruined My Name For Me

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In her piece, America Ruined My Name for Me, Beth Nguyen writes about her experience growing up with a Vietnamese name in America and how it made her feel ostracized from the people around her. Her name, Bich (pronounced “Bic”), means a kind of jade, and in Vietnam, is fairly common. As a child and into her adulthood, Nguyen struggled with living with a name that not only didn’t fit with traditional American names, but was spelled closely to a swear. Nguyen became uncomfortable with her name, and she “avoided meeting people so I could avoid saying [her] name.” A name is a basic part of a persons identity. Her name reflects her heritage, but the lack of understanding and empathy from the people around her caused her to feel shame over a big part of her identity.

Nguyen mentions her parents who told her she “should be proud of who [she] was,” and their anger around her desire to use and American name at school. Her parents saying that she should be proud of who she is was completely valid, however their anger made Nguyen think that she “should keep [her] worries to [herself],” and made her feel ashamed of the shame she was already feeling.