Elizabeth Acevedo: Hi, my name is Elizabeth Acevedo, and I want to talk a little bit about my name. I grew up in schools where there were a lot of Elizabeths in the classroom, and so everyone had to go by last letters to distinguish themselves. And that's probably why I didn't like my name for a very long time. It felt too common. I was too used to being Liz A or Elizabeth A or whatever it is. (Don't call me Beth.) But I will say that having a somewhat unique last name has given me a little taste of the other side as well. Acevedo, Acevedo, right? I've had to learn how to say my name in Spanish and in English and find a way that feels comfortable. And the number of times that I've got an Assevedo or Avocados or whatever the word may be, has been so often. And so I work to ensure that folks can say my last name and practice to say it correctly.

And I'm also really enamored with it. I've looked up the last name, the surname Acevedo, and it goes back to a particular area in Spain. I think it's such a reminder of the many forces that have come together in order for me to be, right? What were the influence of African influence, which I think is visible when folks see me? What is the Taíno influence of the island that I'm from? And then this last name, which is a very clear indication of the Spanish that came to the island. And so, I carry my names proudly even as I also interrogate them and interrogate myself in my relationship to them.