Black Ghetto Baby Names | Imani

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Imani

Oh dear readers of Black Ghetto Baby Names,

As many know, we African Americans are a people of faith. As a people, few other than the Jews have known the same pain and pressure that has been applied to our bodies and spirits over the last many centuries. And I think that today, in a day of the calendar after the birth of our savior and before his death, it is worth discussing a name synonymous with faith.

Imani (Swahili name)

Imani is Swahili, an East African tongue, for “faith”. Swahili has existed at least since 1728, and is thus a rather young language, which may lead one to believe that the name’s roots go far less deep than the others we have discussed. However, we now know that the name digs into the sands of Arabia.

Imani (Arabic name)

In Arabic, Imani means believer. As you can see both the name and aspects of the meaning migrated down from Arabia into the dense of Africa. Around 1000 parents annually name their children as “believer”.

The history of this particular name brings me to wax upon the interconnectedness of us in the united states with our brothers in Africa, and our brothers and sisters under the military/industrial yoke in the Middle East. When we imagine the folks over there, we don’t see ourselves, and this is what permits us to act heinously towards them, and to kill their mothers and kill their brothers and fathers. But here at Black Ghetto Baby Names, we suggest remembering this next time you think of going off to war:

You know your buddy Daniel down the street? There is a Daniel right now taking shrapnel in the eye because of war. You know David? A David is right now being buried in a shallow grave by opportunistic robbers in the security nightmare that is the Middle East.

Believe in peace. Have faith in God, or at least have faith in dreams of a better tomorrow. Every Imani in the world, those growing, those taking their last breaths, and those only now being dreamed of, beg it of us.

Peace unto all of you, even where lightning rends the sky with its cracked lips.

If you found this post interesting, I hope you’ll check out our list of popular black names for similar posts on other historically black names.

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