CultureCon is a nationwide gathering that unites individuals from the creative community and young professionals of diverse backgrounds for a two-day event, fostering celebration, learning, and networking.
The event this year is scheduled from October 7th to the 8th.
Issa Rae attended and spoke at one of the events representing American Express as their spokesperson but during her introduction, one of the long-time executives at American Express mispronounced her name during her introduction.
Instead of “Ee-suh” Glenda McNeal kept saying “Ih-suh”.
“Its pretty incredible, you guys know a lot about “Issa Rae”…
The crowd then started correcting her immediately, to which she responded:
“…Thank you, I’m over here saying calm down its ok, I’m part of the community honey, its ok.. its ok to be vulnerable and not get it right all time…that’s my life, that is my life”
Watch the moment below:
Audience corrects interviewer who mispronounced Issa Rae’s name during their discussion at CultureCon. pic.twitter.com/COL7ioyevI
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 8, 2023
When the clip went viral, a user in the Shaderoom Instagram comment section said she attended the event and there was more more to it than what was shown in the viral clip.
She said Glenda consistently mispronounced Issa Rae’s name in an environment intended to enhance recognition and respect for the black artist within predominantly white settings.
Read her note below:
There’s much more to it. I was there at this event, and the main issue is that Glenda McNeal (the interviewer) is a longtime executive at American Express, and REPEATEDLY mispronounced Issa Rae’s (an American Express spokesperson) name incorrectly. All she had to do was apologize, instead she got defensive and told us (a crowd full of mostly black women) to calm down. All of this while the topic of conversation was about talking to white people about the value of the work of black artists instead of always preaching to the choir.
We fondly recall Issa’s editorial interview with the Chicago Tribune in 2016.
During this conversation, she shared insights about her journey, spanning from her time as an “Awkward Black Girl” to becoming a widely recognized household name.
Issa shared a story about someone recognizing her at the airport and mispronouncing her name.
She said:
Oh wait, it just happened to me at the airport yesterday, a girl pronounced my name wrong. She called me “Ih-suh” instead of “Ee-suh.” That’s the one I hate the most. “Eye-suh” I can deal with, but “Ih-suh” sounds incomplete, like it should be Mel-issa. Like you think my name is incomplete.
To be clear It is extremely unprofessional to mispronounce someone’s name, especially at an event that promotes diversity, respect for identity, and cultural background.
