Names

June 2017 reflections on safety and protection and the significance of names

There is a lot of pressure when you are picking out a name to identify your child. We took months to rummage through baby name lists, bounce names off our family members and friends, and filter through the “ugh I can’t name a kid that because yada yada yada”. As parents you may want to set your kids up with something hopeful, positive, perhaps also a nod to the past generations to carry through family legacies. We get a lot of our identity from our names. Psychologists have studied this phenomenon and how our names can leave lasting impressions on our lives. In our refugees’ case, their name brings with it family tradition but also a certain level of safety risk.

When we were receiving our training with RefugeeONE, we were notified that we would need to keep the names and identities of our new friends within our immediate circles and off social media and the world wide web, emphasis on world. As wonderful as social media and other internet outlets, including this one, are for sharing events and communicating with those we love all over the world, they are an equal opportunity for those seeking to do harm. Because refugees are fleeing war torn countries, those with terrorism links and infiltration, it is very concerning to expose them to these fertile preying grounds. This is why you have not seen our new friends’ names nor their faces. This saddens me because we want you to get to know them and how delightful they are, but it’s simply not worth the risk. There have been situations where a simple, well-meaning post has gotten into the wrong hands and real life threats to the refugees have manifested. The circumstances they are fleeing are difficult to fully understand and should not be worsened by sharing a photo of Teddy rolling the ball to their son on the living room floor giggling and grinning from ear to ear, as much as I would love to take you into that moment from last week.

They are much more than refugees, so, it feels impersonal and too generalized to refer them as such, however. They are funny, full of energy, resilient, thankful, and generous. They are brothers, mothers, sisters, daughters, sons. Our hope for them is that they will make the US a comfortable home and thrive in the ways they consider significant. So, I find myself struggling again to find a name meaningful enough to use as I talk about them to you. For that reason I am going to keep it simple. I pinpointed an Arabic name that is hopeful and positive. Omari, typically a first name, meaning flourishing. So, I look forward to helping you get to know the Omari’s a little better for the next few months.