"Research has been done on job applicants who have been denied job interviews due to non-white sounding names. White males are more likely to get response from university faculty than non-white applicants. The discrepancies are many but the effects are the same – margnilization of non-white communities, especially black. The reasons for changing one’s name vary and can be complex. However it is often a dehumanizing and demeaning process that some people experience in one shape or another."
This app developed by Berkman Fellow Sabelo Mhlambi uses US Census Data and a linguistic algorithm to "Americanize" submitted names, and provoke thought about how names and identities are considered in society.