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  • Approved for CNN

    • Click to view omekongo's profile
    Posted May 24, 2010 by
    omekongo
    Location
    Washington, District of Columbia
    Assignment
    Assignment
    This iReport is part of an assignment:
    Hi, my name is...

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    Hi! My name is Omekongo Dibinga!

    By omekongo  |  Posted May 24, 2010  |  Washington, District of Columbia
     

    Can you hear the drums behind my name???!!! I was named after the person who saved my grandfather's life as a child in eastern Congo. Though that is a reason to be proud, people treated me like garbage in America. They would call me names like African bush-boogie or African booty-scratcher so I would shorten my name to "O" to blend in. "Old McDonald had a farm" became "Omekongo had a farm." As I got older, I realized it was a slap in the face to disrespect my parents' name choice. I accpted my name as a badge of honor and now I use my experiences to teach people about diversity. I don't have a farm yet but maybe one day I will!

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