Bronx Masquerade

Sheila wants to change her name to Natalina, her “Africana name” (103). This does not go over well with the rest of the class. Amy, Diondra, and Judianna roll their eyes or make comments about it, but Porscha comes to her defense.

Sheila explains that she is Italian but doesn’t look like the rest of her family. She has blonde hair and pale skin, whereas the rest of her family has olive skin, dark hair, and dark eyes. She describes herself as the “black sheep” of the family because she has Black and Latinx friends, while her family members are racist. She wants to be a social worker and doesn’t understand how or where she fits into her family or school. After class, she explains this to Mr. Ward, and he agrees to call her Natalina, which makes Sheila happy.

Sheila’s poem, “What’s in a Name?”, is an attempt to explain why she wants to change her name. She uses soil imagery to describe mutual understanding—people “dig up” culture from people’s names, and people use that to compare themselves with others. Because of that, she has decided she wants a change: a new name.