Meet Adanna Gloria
While in contemplation, I thought, I call myself African-American. I know what it means to be American. Yet, I don't have a clue as to what it means to be African. My journey began to learn, to know and to be African in recognition and honor of my ancestral heritage and legacy.
As I was surfing the net late one evening, I encountered a site, swagga.com, which listed African names. Perusing the list of female names, I saw, "Adanna", Nigerian, father's loving daughter". I thought, "That's me." The next day I called my parents, 82 and 79 years old, and asked them to be on the phone simultaneously. When I announced my new name, my Dad having named me "Gloria Jean" was the first to say, "Adanna". He followed that by saying, "I like that name, Adanna." My mom still calls me Gloria, a name I also like and yet still desire to live up to its meaning.
I began using the name by introducing myself as 'Gloria Adanna' and after a couple of years it felt more like a title. I then transposed it to "Adanna" Gloria. I celebrate five years using this name January 2009.