The POWER Our Names Holds
This is a joint article written by Jamel McFarlane and Artie Ray Hughes My name is Jamel McFarlane. I was named Jamel because my parents saw the names James and Jamal and they liked them both. They wanted to make it unique so they changed it the A to and E to make it Jamel. Having a name like Jamel which means handsome has its challenges and benefits. When you search for the name Jamel or Jamal it says it is an Arabic masculine given name (Arabic: جمال Jamāl/Ǧamāl), meaning "beauty". It is a name used in the Middle East, North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Balkans, and predominantly Muslim countries in South Asia. Having a first name that is from an Arabic background and being a black guy throws up its challenges. My last name McFarlane is of Scottish origin and that itself throws up interesting conversations. I believe it comes from my ancestors being within...