Celebrate AAPI Names — Open the Door to Belonging

To celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, let’s begin by honoring the significance of names. For many in the AAPI community, a given or chosen name carries deep history and meaning. Unintentional mistakes, bias, and indifference, however, can lead to mispronunciation and misidentification. Seemingly innocent remarks about people’s names, culture, and upbringing can make them feel like outsiders. In contrast, we can open the door to belonging with a little conscientiousness — pronouncing and understanding names and their meaning creates a greater sense of belonging for us all. 

“The Name,” launched by P&G and led by an AAPI cast and crew, powerfully highlights the importance of one’s name. Spoiler alert about a teachable moment in the video:  A nurse says, “What a beautiful name. Can you teach me how to say it?” To share your name and its phonetic pronunciation on social media, download this accompanying graphic.