sincerely, Amira

dearest Amira,

if you were just born into this crazy world…welcome and happy birthday!

if you just turned 21…also, happy birthday!

if you’re approaching your 50th Mothers Day, i appreciate you paving the way!

as a fellow Amira, i didn’t grow up seeing our name…anywhere.

i was always the only one.

i was the only one in class, never spotted on expensive school materials with Jessica and Amanda’s names on them, never seen in movies and cartoons, and there were no celebrities …

never once an Amira.

it was always pronounced with the strong “i” sound and not the “e” and people have even replaced the “i” with another “a” for Amara.

pronunciation: uh-meer-ah

as i got older, i had the privilege and honor to meet others like me…except the spelling was always different. one was “Uhmeerah”, one was “Ameerah” (dear friend of mine now), and one was even Amirah!

through the older years, Arabic men try to quiz me on my name or ask, “do you know what your name means?”

i got to a point of appreciating that Amira is culturally impactful as you’re carrying princess energy and responsibility. but, if this happens to you and you find your patience wearing thin of having to eventually tell these men that you’ve owned your name in its entirety for the duration of my life and didn’t sign up for a lecture or quiz on it…it’s okay and it will pass. see it as your unintentional connection and opportunity to learn about another culture. one you’ve been tied to, and you owe it to you to learn its roots and history.

when i finally saw my name on something, i was in college. it was 2012 or so. NorthFace had a backpack. some special “Amira” edition. when i tell you how stoked i was…

i figured life had bigger plans for me. what's a mere sparkly ruler when my name was hitting the big time? like the well respected brand, NorthFace?

of course i got the backpack. it was stolen years later and they don’t exist anymore…but that is because it was time for the next.

my name in lights. Amira as a household name. Amira as a celebrity. Amira as a star.

all of my 20’s, i worked on that. through school, radio, travel, projects, ideas…the grind was ruthless.

i later see…a Netflix movie titled, “You People” starring Eddie Murphy…that one white guy that i’ve generally enjoyed, and the most beautiful Lauren London.

Lauren London’s character is named…Amira.

STOKED.

ABSOLUTELY REFRESHED.

transparently, i was afraid of the possible boom in the popularity of the name and everyone is going to name their kids that now…but, i shouldn’t be so negative. i was just mourning our exclusivity…naturally.

soon after that, my mom texted me a picture of some subtitles on a kids educational cartoon.

the main characters name is…Amira.

after a quick Google search, i found another cartoon. it’s a YouTube series titled, “Amira and Friends.”

along with this Google search, i’ve even discovered an anime character named Amira who is half demon, half angel…which is quite on brand for myself.

*hair flip*

i’ve also discovered…a Lion King character…i’ll be doing more research as The Lion King is my all time favorite movie. according to Fandom, Simba has a twin sister named Amira…

i will shit my pants. but before i do so…more research is in order.

our name is making its way into more media formats and i’m hearing about more of us. just at work the other day, a customer shared that his sister or niece is named Amira and she just graduated with a degree. This is amazing and it gives me hope for my ask…

dearest Amira, i want to see one of our names in the lights. we’re coming up like the cauliflower glow up, but one of us or most of us will take those reins and charge into the potential.

and succeed.

as your fellow Amira, i’m not done yet. as i’ve reached my highly anticipated 30’s, i’m shifting goals and work grind for the longevity game. we technically have…until our last breath.

i encourage y’all to embrace your individuality and how special you are.

you were chosen to wield such a beautiful and demanding name.

and that shit belongs in the spotlight!

if it turns out that it won’t be me, i’ll continue spreading “Amira Awareness” and i’ll be cheering on whoever is next…because SOMEBODY has got to do it.

if you’re just reading this…fellow Amira, welcome to your calling.

you have a great responsibility so get your strongest pair of waist beads, and choose your favorite vice.

a princess has much to do.

i love you.

sincerely, Amira