Say My Name, Say My Name: I Am DEI

By Effenus Henderson

Say my name, say my name.

No, not the one you find easy.

Not the one you try to shorten.

Not the one you replace for your comfort.

Say my name. The full name.

The name that carries my story, my lineage, my rhythm, my fight, my joy.

Say it, not with mockery.

Say it with respect.

Because in this era — the DEI era — names matter.

To say someone’s name correctly is to acknowledge their existence. To honor it is to recognize the culture and the history from which they come. It is to say, I see you, not just as a role or a token or a category, but as a full human being. DEI — Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion — is not just a framework for policy or practice. It is a declaration that you belong here, as you are, with the name your mother gave you, the name your people prayed over, the name you carry through a world that too often tries to shorten it, flatten it, or erase it.

In that context, let me introduce myself again.

My name is D-E-I.

Not “divisive.”

Not “woke agenda.”