Put some respect on Issa Rae’s name. On Saturday, Rae took the stage at CultureCon for a 25-minute chat about the work she’s been doing to champion and mentor creatives of color. When interviewer Glenda McNeal accidentally called the Insecure creator “Ih-suh†instead of “Ee-suh,†she was immediately interrupted by a disapproving audience. “Sorry! Issa! Thank you!†McNeal said. As the crowd’s corrections continued getting louder, Rae ducked her head in laughter. McNeal, who was reportedly the first Black woman to join American Express’s executive committee, quickly clarified her own racial background: “Calm down, it’s okay, I’m part of the community, honey, it’s okay,†she said with a laugh. This did not appease everyone in the audience, however (in addition to several “uh-uhâ€s, someone shouted, “And you didn’t say her name right!â€). McNeal, truly a corporate exec, managed to spin the situation as a lesson about how it’s okay to be “vulnerable†and not get it right all the time. She then repeated Rae’s name correctly, and the crowd cheered.
Rae has previously spoken about disliking when people say her name wrong — specifically in the way that McNeal said it. “That’s the one I hate the most,†Rae said in a 2016 interview with the Chicago Tribune. “‘Eye-suh’ I can deal with, but ‘Ih-suh’ sounds incomplete, like it should be Mel-issa. Like you think my name is incomplete.†Seven years later, it looks like not everyone has learned how to correctly pronounce Rae’s name yet. But judging by the fervor in the video below, we’re sure the CultureCon crowd will handle that shortly.