My name is Martha
Kanemitsu-Parks. I’ve always felt
that the name Martha was so old-fashioned. Remember George Washington, our first president? His wife was named Martha! Growing up in Hawaii, I did not know
one other person named Martha in the 30 years that I lived there. I was the only Martha in every school that I attended. I was always a little embarrassed when
introducing myself as Martha.
Sometimes after I introduced myself to someone, they would look at me
and say “Martha? Who named you Martha?
I am a tall, Asian woman from Hawaii who certainly does not look like a Martha. I guess having that name would make me unique
in a sense. But I would have preferred having another name. If I could choose
another name, I think I would choose Malia. Malia is a name with Hawaiian origins and it means “calm and
peaceful”. I feel that the name Malia
would represent me better than Martha because I am calm and peaceful. I'll have to live vicariously through my daughter because her middle name
is Malia.
