Just returned from 2+ weeks in Egypt, and the jet lag got to me at this end. In Egypt, we saw remarkable temples, tombs, pyramids, and obelisks dating back thousands of years. Seeing the quarries where they mined the limestone, sandstone, and marble to construct these grand structures was awe-inspiring. The testament to the human imagination and the desire to create beauty and leave one's mark. The need to be seen and remembered is universal. Pharaohs and royalty made sure they created the grandest of monuments to themselves (often seeking to erase those who preceded them and distorting the history of succession). Quarries were often hundreds of miles from these temples, and the colossal building blocks were transported on boats when the Nile flooded during the summer. In my mind’s eye, I can see the hundreds and thousands of highly skilled laborers and craftsmen chiseling away to create the beautiful carvings at these temples. Beyond the archeologic points of interest, I was equally eager to learn about people’s lives in Egypt today, especially women, with whom we rarely interacted. All of our guides were men, as was the crew of 12 people on the dahabeeyah (sailboat), where the 15 passengers spent five days on the Nile, stopping along the way to visit archeological sites. I had the opportunity to speak numerous times with crew members and guides and was curious about the lives of their wives and daughters. I will be sharing more about this trip in future blogs. For now, here is a Stairwell Episode about Nobuko, who was our guide last year for two weeks while we traveled in Japan. AND I’m super psyched about my trip to Phoenix next month to perform my last 2023 show at ASU’s Kerr Cultural Center. If you know people in Phoenix, I’d love to connect with them and tell them about my show. Tickets at this link. You can watch the previous eleven episodes of my Stairwell Teatro in about a half-hour since individual stories are typically around two minutes. Click here for the playlist.

I'm on a two-week trip to Egypt, and before leaving, I recorded several episodes of my Stairwell Teatro. Episode 11 is a story about someone reclaiming the pronunciation of the name their parents gave them. This is a recurrent theme of name stories that folks share with me. Posts about this topic appear regularly on LinkedIn and typically generate hundreds of comments. No matter where I travel, I always find name stories. On arrival in Cairo last week, we were met at the airport by Mohamed, whom I greeted like an old friend as I’d been communicating with Mohamed (at the Egyptian travel agency) for several months. He explained that he was a different Mohamed than the one I'd been emailing at the Nour el Nil agency. He added that Mohamed was a common name, and we would meet many Mohameds during our time in Egypt. And so it is. Almost every day, we meet a new Mohamed, who is likely to tell us his middle name -- Abdul, Ahmed, Hussein (just three examples). Mohameds lightheartedly joke that if you call out the name, more than half the men will respond. So best to use their middle names. One Month Away-- December 10 I'll perform the final 2023 show at ASU's Kerr Cultural Center on December 10th in Scottsdale, AZ. Spread the word to friends or family in the Phoenix area. I'm excited to see long-time Arizona friends and to meet new ones. You can watch the previous ten episodes of my Stairwell Teatro in a half-hour since individual stories are typically around two minutes. Click here for the playlist.

Felipe Jason’s story continues to pain me. His wife shared this with me after seeing one of my shows. To protect his privacy, I changed his names -- keeping a distinctly Latino first name and a typically white-sounding middle name. Felipe has done everything to set himself up for success in mainstream corporate America, finished college with distinction, got an MBA from an Ivy League School, and landed a job with an investment firm, he was ready. While some job seekers whitewash their resumes so that their ethnic/racial backgrounds are less salient (if at all noticeable), Felipe didn’t do this. This article in The Atlantic, about whitewashing, may be of interest. Click here to read. It reports on academic research that confirms that minority job seekers who whiten their resumes are likelier to be more successful at securing interviews and getting job offers. Although now several years old, this article is interesting and relevant at many levels, especially as conservative factions are seeking to eliminate programs that recruit employees from underrepresented groups. Even more surprising in this situation is that Felipe had worked with this firm the previous summer and colleagues had then used his first name. Only after they had hired him did his employer unilaterally decide to whiten Felipe for their clients by using his “more acceptable” (to them) middle name. True, it was his name, and he did include it in his resume, it just wasn’t the name he used. It’s hard for me to imagine that Felipe could thrive in this environment, although it is my great home that he succeeded and that his career did get off to a good start. I was reminded about a similar story two-name story that was shared by a woman lawyer, whom I’ll call Ann, who was waiting for her case to be called on the motion calendar at Alameda County courtroom in Oakland, California. The young male lawyer introduced himself (again, I’ve changed the names). Counsel: Good morning, Your Honor, David Levy-Jones, on behalf of the plaintiff, John Doe. Judge: Counsel, which is it Levy or Jones? Counsel: Your Honor, It’s Levy-Jones, a hyphenated last name. Judge: Not in my courtroom it isn’t. Which should I use? Ann said you could have heard a pin drop in the courtroom. Everyone’s eyes looked up from their papers and zeroed in on the rookie lawyer at the podium. She wondered if the judge didn’t like hyphenated last names because women typically used them but didn’t want to seem biased against women, so he picked on a man with a hyphenated last name. Ann, who is Jewish, said, I also wondered whether the judge was putting him through some loyalty test asking him to choose one name over the other. She added, “this exchange made me very uncomfortable. If he picks the Jewish last name will that be a bad or good thing?" Levy-Jones told him he could use Jones. That story made me equally uncomfortable. Hopefully, that Judge is now no longer on the bench. I am always amazed by the name stories that come my way. Heading to Phoenix in December Just five weeks to my ASU show. If you know folks in the Phoenix area, please let them know I’ll be on December 10th performing my final live show this year at Arizona State University’s Kerr Cultural Center in Scottsdale, AZ. Spread the word to friends or family in the Phoenix area. I promise you the best show I’ve got. Click here for tickets. You can watch the previous nine episodes of my Stairwell Teatro in a half-hour since individual stories are typically around two minutes. Click here for the playlist.

I love research studies, especially those examining bias and discrimination. This episode references the 2003 National Bureau of Economic Research study titled Are Emily and Greg More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal? This study sent out 5,000 identical resumes concerning education and experience for jobs advertised in the Boston and Chicago areas. The only difference in the resumes was the names of the applicants. Applicants with Black-sounding names were less likely to be invited to interview for jobs than applicants with White-sounding names. Read the study here. As I mentioned in this Stairwell Episode, these studies have also been done in other countries, reaching the same conclusion. Applicants are perceived as “more qualified” or are of greater interest to employers if their names suggest they are members of the dominant (ruling) group in that country. Name discrimination expands well beyond the employment arena. It could deny access to an apartment or home, or it may keep your child from being admitted into a preschool, as was reported in this article for Wired (UK), where British parents with Muslim-identified names were told there was no space in a preschool, but persons with White-sounding names who inquired about openings were offered spaces. The Wired (UK) article also references the GEMM Study (GEMM stands for Growth, Equal Opportunities, Migration, and Markets), which is a comparative analysis of hiring discrimination across 53 ethnic groups in five European countries: Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, Norway, and the Netherlands. The data analyzes cultural differences, religion, phenotype, and soft and hard skills of job applicants. Read the GEMM study here. The results are consistent with studies from the United States, and the GEMM Study found that ethnic minorities needed to send 60 percent more applications to get as many callbacks as the white majority. Countries with a longer history of immigration from former colonies seemed to have higher rates of discrimination, according to this study. British employers were the most discriminatory compared to Norway, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands. “We were a bit surprised by that,” says Valentina di Stasio, an assistant professor at Utrecht University who worked on the research. “In Britain (name discrimination) is very high by international standards.” And if this topic interests you, and you share my nerdy tendencies, here is another interesting article here. Heading to Phoenix in December Know someone in the Phoenix area? Maybe you even live there yourself. If so, I hope to see you on December 10th when I perform my final live show this year at Arizona State University’s Kerr Cultural Center in Scottsdale, AZ. Spread the word to friends or family in the Phoenix area. I promise you the best show I’ve got. Click here for tickets. You can watch the previous eight episodes of my Stairwell Teatro in under 30 minutes since individual stories are typically around two minutes. Click here for the playlist.

I love that some of you send me emails, texts, and call to share your name stories. I summarize or rephrase because I’m seeking to tell a story in two minutes. Hopefully, I present a “good-enough” shortened version of what you've told me. In my writing I can provide a bit more about the stories you share. When my friend Maria got high praise for her good Spanish, she told her friends the following: "I'm blessed to be bi-lingual, but trust me, I know what you mean. In learning to speak English, I knew pronouncing English words correctly was crucial - why wouldn't I? And English is exponentially much more difficult to learn than Spanish, so few words are phonetic, like in Spanish. It just takes practice and a commitment to respecting language - any language." "Crickets.” Yep, there was complete silence; no one said anything in response to Maria's comments. Awkward. Maria concludes her email by saying, “if an English speaker can pronounce the following words correctly, a Spanish R or double L should be easy/peasy: Au contraire Bon appétit Bourgeois C’est la vie Cliché Entrée Faux pas Nouveau Potpourri Touché Questions to my friends who are not native speakers of English. Do you make an effort to pronounce French words correctly? Does it feel embarrassing if you don’t get them quite right? Do Spanish words feel more intimidating than French words? Do you find yourselves offering explanations (to self or others) about why you might struggle with Spanish words? Asking for a friend. Know someone in the Phoenix area? Maybe you even live there yourself. If so, I hope to see you on December 10th when I perform my final live show this year at Arizona State University’s Kerr Cultural Center in Scottsdale, AZ. Spread the word to friends or family in the Phoenix area. I promise you the best show I’ve got. Click here for tickets. When I was in San Antonio, I enjoyed recording a podcast with Dr. Elena Foulis at Texas A&M University, San Antonio. Latin@ Stories is a podcast born out of the oral history project about Latin@s in Ohio, Oral Narratives of Latin@s in Ohio (ONLO). It seeks to amplify the Latin@ experience with interviews in Spanish, English and Spanglish. The podcast has stories about Latin@s that live all over the US. Have a listen at this link. You can watch the previous seven episodes of my Stairwell Teatro in under 20 minutes, since individual stories are typically around two minutes. Click here for the playlist. Finally, please join me in sending thoughts of loving kindness into the universe. Many of us feel hopeless and despair with the world in such a crisis. Let us choose empathy and compassion for all our brothers and sisters experiencing this unimaginable trauma. And remember, spread hope and love. No te cuesta nada, an expression I grew up hearing about many things, and one that certainly applies to spreading hope and love.

It took a long time for COVID to get to me, and finally, it did. Like so many people, I got sick two days after my return flights from San Antonio. I did wear a mask at the airport and on the two flights, but hardly anyone is masked anymore. And who was I kidding? I did pull down my mask to drink a beverage. I had a 103.5 degree fever, and congestion. Felt lousy for three days. I started Paxlovid right away, and once the fever was gone, I felt much better. Finally tested negative on Day 7, and other than feeling a bit less energetic, I’m AOK. Please keep sending me your name stories; love reading them -- some make me mad, and others are so uplifting -- like the one in today’s Stairwell Teatro. The world is such a tough place; it is hard to watch the news, and I mostly keep up with world events through radio and print. Seeing images on TV and video is just too disturbing. So much destruction, pain, and suffering. Feeling the sadness and hoping all of us can hold on to our humanity.

Here is this week's installment of my Stairwell Teatro. I still shake my head when I think back to this incident with Shelly, the receptionist in the office. I mentioned what had happened to the senior partner I worked with, and he insisted on speaking to HR about this. I didn't want Shelly penalized; just informed that her comments were inappropriate. I had a good relationship with Shelly, and whether she got it or not, I don't know. The issue never came up again. Several of you have emailed or called me to share your name stories, and they are so good. Thanks so much, and by all means, keep them coming. I can be reached at irmadherrera@gmail.com. I'm finally home after almost two weeks away (Nashville and San Antonio). And I'm pleased to participate in a few Zoom events in October for the last two weeks of Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month. Typically, I perform two or three short scenes from my play, followed by a panel discussion with two or three employees within the organization. These events are open to all employees, and it's genuinely heartwarming to see how folks relate to the conversation regardless of their ethnic/racial identity or gender orientation. The issue of names and how we show respect is quite engaging, and these presentations play equally well at financial services firms, research institutions, and non-profits. My next live show will be at Arizona State University (ASU) on December 10th. Please help spread the word if you know people in the Phoenix area. Tickets and more info here. If you are on social media, you can follow me by clicking on the links below: Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Facebook TikTok Mil gracias.

Had so much fun with this cuentito. People say the craziest things. Keep sending me and telling me your name stories. My goal is to publish a Stairwell Teatro Episode each Thursday, but this past Thursday I was focused on getting my show ready, so this is coming to you a wee bit later than usual. Gracias, San Antonio After two days of some rough rehearsals, where I kept messing up important lines, we produced a show that I am proud of. Thanks to the tech team Dion and Catherine and everyone at St. Mary's who made this performance possible. We had a full house and an appreciative audience. It is especially wonderful for me to perform before bilingual Tejano audiences, since a good part of my story is about growing up in South Texas and explores the history of the Chicano community. I've met so many amazing community leaders in the world of arts, politics, and civil rights while in San Antonio, thanks to all of you for your Tejas-sized hospitality. I've also had the opportunity to catch up with extended family, many of whom I've not seen in decades. I look forward to returning. Super happy to tape a Latin@ Stories podcast at Texas A&M University, San Antonio. I'll link that when available. Hasta la proxima. In October I'm participating in several corporate and non-profit Employee Resource Group (ERG) roundtable conversations as part of Hispanic Heritage Month activities. Don't need to wait for Hispanic Heritage Month, I give speeches and make presentations all year round. My next performance will be at Arizona State University (ASU) on December 10th. Please help spread the word if you know people in the Phoenix area. Tickets and more info here. If you are on social media, please follow by clicking on the links below: Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Facebook TikTok Mil gracias.

In this week's installment of my Stairwell Teatro, my friend Kathy is given a new name by her 7th-grade teacher, and she has to use it the entire school year. Although this happened decades ago, Kathy still feels the sting of the experience. I'm so grateful to all of you who generously share your name stories with me. Keep them coming. NASHVILLE Greetings from Nashville. I love this place and am so glad I was invited to present at two different venues in this great city. AllianceBernstein's Latino ERG asked me to be part of the Hispanic Heritage Month activities. I gave an excerpt of my play and had a roundtable conversation with two Alliance Bernstein staff members, Kristen Junco and Levis Padron. A diverse audience attended and shared their name stories as part of the program. We were fortunate to be in the top-floor conference room with smashing views of the Nashville skyline. And check out Nashville's famous Batman Building, the nickname of the ATT Headquarters. In the late afternoon, I was at the Nashville Public Library at TN Justice For Our Neighbors annual event, Oye Vecino, which was also being recorded for an upcoming podcast. In addition to performing some scenes from my play, Two TNJFON staff members, Aineth Murgia, Alvaro Manrique Barranchea, and I talked about the organization's work and my career in law, journalism, and now as a playwright addressing social justice issues. TNJFON represents immigrants from many different countries, the Americas, Asia, Middle East, Africa, and educates the greater Nashville community about immigrant rights. It is led by Tessa Lemos Del Pino, Executive Director. Shout out to the TNJFON staff and board for their dedication and hard work. Thank you so much, AllianceBernstein and TNJFON, such an honor to join you today, and I'll say it again, I LOVE visiting Nashville and hope to be back. Would love to return to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center on some future occasion (just 'sayin). NEXT STOP - San Antonio I will be at St. Mary's University's beautiful Guadalupe Chapel at Treadaway Hall next week, on Thursday, September 28th @ 7:30 pm. The St. Mary's show is open to anyone and is a free community service -- no charge, GRATIS. I love the materials prepared by St. Mary's for my show. Chulo, verdad? If you enjoy my newsletter and the cuentitos in my Stairwell Teatro, please share with your friends and colleagues. And if you wish to follow me on social media, click below to be connected. Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Facebook TikTok Mil gracias.

Although I say my name using the Spanish, French, and Italian pronunciations, it's not the only way to say, Irma. For those who don't know any Romance languages, it sounds kinda- like Ear-ma (well close enough), rather than URma. And, it's pronounced like that in Nordic languages, too. When I first visited Denmark, I learned that the largest grocery store chain in Denmark is named Irma . . . and guess what? It's pronounced like my name. And to celebrate that, I've treated myself to all sorts of Irma store swag: a wine tote, candy and mints, and Irma mustard. If you're ever in Copenhagen, check out the Irma store. It's pretty nice, and I love that friends send me pictures of themselves in front of the store. And how do they say Irma in Russia, you wonder? One day, a blond, blue-eyed gent called out my name perfectly when his Uber pulled over to pick me up in San Francisco. In our conversation, I learned from Aleksandr (originally from St. Petersburg) that Irma is pronounced like Irina (a common Russian name), and he was baffled that anyone would have difficulty saying it the way I do. But I digress. In Episode 3 of my Stairwell Teatro, I share a story about someone using the URma pronunciation and why it amused me. It happens, and it is best not to get worked up about it in these situations. Next week, I'm heading to Nashville, where I'm the guest speaker at TN Justice for Our Neighbors (TNJFON) Oye Vecino Live event at the historic Nashville Library on Thursday, 9/21, at 5 pm. Tickets are still available and start at $50. Your donation supports a great cause. Click here to register. I'll perform some excerpts from my play and then participate in a discussion with Aineth Murgia and Alvaro Manrique Barrenchea, TNJFON's legal team members. I'd be so thrilled to see my Nashville friends there. From Nashville, I fly to San Antonio, where my show will be presented at St. Mary's University at the beautiful Guadalupe Chapel at Treadaway Hall. While in San Antonio, I'll be meeting with students and members of the St. Mary's community, and I'll be at Texas A&M San Antonio taping a Latin@ Stories podcast. I am also looking forward to seeing my many Tejano relatives and friends. The St. Mary's show is open to anyone and is a free community service -- no charge, GRATIS. I love the materials prepared by St. Mary's for my show. Chulo, verdad? If you enjoy my newsletter and the cuentitos in my Stairwell Teatro, please share with your friends and colleagues. Mil gracias.

Here it is, Episode 2 of my Stairwell Teatro. This episode is about a story that caught my eye several years ago. When a newly hired Latina news anchor at a Phoenix television station pronounced Spanish words correctly, some people did not like it and were quite vocal in their criticisms. This caused such a stir that the New York Times covered the controversy. It's here should you care to read it. If you have a name story you'd like to share, send it to me in an email at irmadherrera@gmail.com. I love hearing about your experiences with names. And, if you enjoy my Stairwell Teatro 2023, please share it with friends. I've got two shows coming. One later this month, on Thursday, September 28th, at 7:30 pm, I'll be at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, my alma mater, at the beautiful Guadalupe Chapel at Treadaway Hall. It's open to anyone and is a free community service -- no charge, GRATIS, so come check it out. St. Mary's is located at: One Camino Santa Maria San Antonio, Texas Treadaway Hall is Building 18 at the top of this map, by Parking Lot C. And on December 10th at 2 pm, I'll perform at Arizona State University's Kerr Cultural Center. Tickets are now on sale at this link. The yellow "Buy tickets" below isn't an actual link; the photo is a screenshot from the theater's website. I look forward to seeing my friends in Texas and Arizona soon. Thanks for your warm and supportive comments on Episode 01, the Namaste cuentito, sent via email and social media.

I am having so much fun, creating episodes of my Stairwell Teatro, and my mind is exploding with ideas. The current plan is to release a weekly episode. Hopefully, I can maintain that pace. This first episode is one of my all-time favorite stories of a conversation with a yogini at a Bikkram Studio. If you have a name story you'd like to share, send it to me in an email at irmadherrera@gmail.com. I love hearing about your experiences with names. And, if you enjoy what you see, share it with friends. I'm excited about my two live shows later this year. On Thursday, September 28th, at 7:30 pm, I'll be at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, my alma mater, at the beautiful Guadalupe Chapel at Treadaway Hall. It's open to anyone and is a free community service -- no charge, GRATIS, so come check it out. St. Mary's is located at: One Camino Santa Maria San Antonio, Texas Treadaway Hall is Building 18 at the top of this map, by Parking Lot C. And on December 10th at 2 pm, I'll perform at Arizona State University's Kerr Cultural Center. Tickets are now on sale at this link. The yellow "Buy tickets" below isn't a true link, as the photo is a screenshot from the theater's website. Aztlan, here I come, very happy to be in the Southwest.