Say my name: name-based racial microaggressions in Ontario’s K-12 school system

Abstract

Names have long been connected with an individual’s perception of themselves and their identities. Studies have shown that negative experiences with one’s name can impact a student’s sense of self and belonging, and their overall well-being. Students in Ontario with culturally diverse, or unique names are at a greater risk of experiencing racial microaggressions relating to their names. These experiences can contribute to the marginalization of diverse student populations such as South Asian Canadian students. Previous research has demonstrated this correlation in various minority populations, but there exists a gap in current literature, with limited research conducted on the South Asian Canadian experience. The voices of Canadian-born South Asians have not been adequately heard despite the growing South Asian population throughout the province. This portfolio was designed to consider these voices, as well as include three elements (or tasks) which all argue that there exists a current need to overhaul existing attendance protocols in Ontario K-12 classrooms. The resulting proposal is for the integration of a name pronunciation tool into existing learning management systems, such as Power Schools, and Desire2Learn.