Introduction

For the Scholarly Reader’s Guide, I have decided to discuss the naming process of African and African American slaves. I will go into depth about the hardships of the naming process with examples from Beloved by Toni Morrison. Morrison used the characters in Beloved, when it came to name changing, to show the resistance they had towards the names they were given by their slave masters. People like Baby Suggs and Stamp Paid changed their names from what they were given while in slavery to heal from the hardships of slavery and to gain their independence that they once lost by being named something that they did not want to be called. The slave masters used the slaves such as all three Paul’s, Paul A, D, and F, to utilize another way to subjugate them while they were in slavery. It has been said that some slave owners named their slaves through their own personality or mood as well as first and or last names of their surnames or previous owner’s names and even numbers. For example Baby Suggs who was called Whitlow because her name on her bill of sale was named Jenny Whitlow which was given to her by her first owner. She claimed ownership over herself when she officially called herself Baby Suggs which was given to her by her husband. When it comes to Paul D, his name was not changed and it seems the Morrison used his name and him as a person to represent African Americans of that time period and today where they struggle for the independence they never knew could exist especially away from the life and people that oppressed them for so many years. He is unable to break free from oppression after slavery and demonstrates that struggle of throwing away the identity that was forced upon him and truly becoming the man he is destined to be. Paul D fought with trying to understand that the definition of a man that was forced upon him by school teacher and understanding that it was not the true definition of a man who was independent and now make decisions on their own. Being free from slavery was one thing but understanding a claiming oneself worth of truly being free was another.

This brings me into what the Black Fantastic represents when it comes to defining what it means in the sense of identity. Two definitions of the Black Fantastic stand out to me as I talk about the naming process of slaves: 1. Gives life to what history denied, gives voice to what history has silenced, and 2. This other knowledge or perception of another world or another way, always discredited but still there. The naming process for slaves has not been forgotten but it has been silenced due to people not talking about it as much and with the characters in the book changing their names to what they want their names to be also gives a voice to them and so many other people in real life that has done the same thing to gain back their independence from their oppressors. Renaming themselves only gave them hope and reassurance that this was the first step to changing their future in hopes of a new and greater beginning and self- love that no one can take away from them. Baby Suggs and Stamp Paid, who was named Joshua, denies the power of their slave owners and truly emphasized the meaning of embracing ones history and culture and remain connected to yourself and identity and never let anyone else define you.

In the Literature Review, I will be discussing three secondary sources that will address 1. two interviews from former slaves that will talk about the history behind what their last names were when they were born then to what they decided to change their name to in the time of the interview. 2. A post made on Pbs.org by Kenyatta Berry who talks about what people will do today in search of their slave history through what their ancestors possible last name was in that time period as well as what free slaves were able to do when they wanted to change their name after being freed through the Emancipation Proclamation. 3. A journal article by Howard Barker called American Speech where he reflects on the history about why slaves who eventually became free came to choose the last name they chose completely changing it from their slave holders last name.

In the archives section of this reader’s guide, I will be posting video, a question and response to an interview, and pictures of different prominent African American leaders explaining why they changed their name from the name that was given to them at birth or slave name, into the name that they chose to go by either through influence from someone they looked up to or through religious factors that made them want to change their name that was in ties with their religion.

Lastly in the Visualization section, there will be two time lines that will show the events that happened in the story Beloved in the books order and the other timeline will show events that happened in chronological order based on the time frame it happened in.