It's fine and dandy.
But Cleopatra Jones notwithstanding, there's a bit of cultural co-option here.
I hope they realize that Cleopatra was Greek, not black.
Of Macedonian Greek ancestry--as white as Danes. People will dispute this, but they're simply wrong and can't be reasoned with.
shareMY "WIFE" IS 100% GREEK...AND HER NAME IS CLEOPATRA.
shareI don't get it. Is your wife actually Greek?
share100%...HER PARENTS WERE BOTH GREEK IMMIGRANTS.
shareOkay. You know I'm Greek-American. Kudos if her parents actually named her Cleopatra.
shareTHEY CERTAINLY DID...SHE WAS BORN IN BELGIUM WHEN HER DAD WAS SERVING IN THE GREEK ARMY...THEY IMMIGRATED TO NEW YORK WHEN SHE WAS 7 OR 8...AND THEY BOTH BECAME CITIZENS...SOLID NEW YORKERS.
EXCEPT...THEY FORGOT TO NATURALIZE CLEO...SHE DISCOVERED THIS SHORTLY AFTER I MET HER...MADE LIFE PRETTY DIFFICULT FOR A WHILE...SHE EVENTUALLY TOOK THE TEST AND GOT HER CITIZENSHIP THOUGH.
Okay, that's cool since blacks have sorta co-opted the name. As if.
There are a lot of Greek woman named Athena. But I've never known a Cleopatra.
Nobody owns culture. "cultural appropriation" is such a b.s. term. The famous Cleopatra was certainly Greek/Macedon, but so what? Name your kid what you want.
shareI was being a bit sarcastic. But I guarantee you this woman thinks Cleopatra was black.
shareIt seems to be an attempt to honor their heritage by naming the black girl after a famous african queen.
BUT, as pointed out, as that "african queen" was actually white,
it insteads seems to actually.... imply that there is NO actually BLACK african history worth celebrating as they had to go to a WHITE QUEEN for a cool name.
Which, is kind of... sad.
Now, if the mother has a clear story that explains the name differently such as saying....
she just has a thing for Ancient Egypt and loved Cleopatra, and named her daughter than because "strong woman" or something like that without the fake attempt to claim she was black,
then that is fine. Cool even.
Agreed. They can look to West Africa or Nubia or Ethiopia for real black African heritage.
Cleopatra is part of my Greek heritage as a descendant of Ptolemy and Alexander the Great's conquerors.