Black girl names are deeply meaningful, often symbolizing beauty, strength, and spirituality. ... Makena is an African baby girl name often found among the Kikuyu and Meru people of Kenya.

"That Black African girl…" he said, gesturing to a colleague. The first time, we blinked. Maybe it was a slip. A poor choice of words. Then it came again. "The Black girl," he repeated.

Due to their African origins, these names may have been foreign in nature. As a result, anglicized names were given by enslavers, helping to aid in the erasure of Black Americans’ African heritage.