If you could have something named after you, what would it be?

The Era of Shrinking is Over. Step Boldly Into the Spotlight and Claim Your Damn Credit.

If the world had the gall to name bridges, battleships, schools, and boulevards after mediocre men, then surely you can imagine a future where your name is on something that actually matters.

This is not about modesty. This is about impact. Power. Visibility. And the kind of legacy that refuses to be polite about taking up space.

So here’s the question: What would you name after yourself?

No, I’m not talking about a personalized mug or a GoFundMe with your face on it. I’m talking global. I’m talking generational. I’m talking about showing up in the archives of humanity because you dared to dream and execute on it.

Let’s shake this table. We live in a society that hands the mic to the loudest bros in the room, then gaslights women—especially Black women—into thinking ambition is a dirty word. It’s not.

Ambition is sacred. Legacy is power. Naming it is revolutionary.

Let me break this down: every time you dream aloud, every time you don’t back down in a meeting, every time you choose your vision over someone else’s comfort—you are laying the groundwork for legacy.

So again, what would you name?

The [Your Last Name] Fellowship – a scholarship for first-gen students breaking barriers in tech.

[Your Name] Principle – a new psychological framework centered on the emotional labor of Black women and how the world benefits from it.

[Your Name] Labs – a startup incubator for marginalized creatives with big-ass ideas and little access.

You see where I’m going?

Survey Finds Women of Color Represent Just Over a Tenth of College Presidents

It’s not arrogance. It’s acknowledgment. The kind the world rarely gives us unless we demand it.

Now let’s address the inner critic whispering, “But I’m not there yet.”

Girl, who is? Nobody starts legacy-level work with a TED Talk and a Times profile. Legacy starts messy. Unpolished. In your notes app. In that late-night convo with your homegirl. In that Google Doc, no one reads but you.

Legacy is a series of loud decisions disguised as small steps.

You don’t have to be famous to be remembered. You have to be intentional.

The world already benefits from your ideas. From your labor. From your existence. So why shouldn’t your name carry the weight it deserves?

Think about the spaces you inhabit:

• Your workplace: What policy could you champion?
• Your neighborhood: What program could you start?
• Your field: What gap could you fill?

Now flip that. Imagine someone, 50 years from now, crediting their success to something you started.

Let me make it real: Oprah didn’t just want to be on TV. She wanted to shape the conversation. Ava didn’t just want to direct films. She wanted to build her own damn distribution system. They didn’t ask for permission. They claimed space—and then built it out for others.

So again: what would you name? And what are you waiting for?

Here’s how to start building your namesake empire:

1. Write down your vision. Be wild. Be unfiltered.

2. Research the need. Who could benefit from your idea? Who’s missing from the current convo? [Community Resources Committee]

3. Find your allies. You don’t need a thousand. You need three real ones with skills, honesty, and snacks.

4. Launch a pilot. A workshop, a free guide, a newsletter, a pop-up. Test the waters and learn fast.

5. Make it louder. Pitch it. Post it. Propose it. Put your name on it and dare someone to doubt you.

[Grassroots Project]

You don’t owe anyone humility if it comes at the cost of your purpose. And you sure as hell don’t owe the world silence when your voice could change everything.

This is your legacy era.

Name the street, the theory, the policy, the school, the practice, the revolution after you. Let it stand as a monument to what’s possible when we stop apologizing for being brilliant.

Links/References:

[Comcast announces digital equity initiatives designed to give Atlantans “Unlimited Possibilities”

[Meet Jotaka Eaddy, the Founder of “Win with Black Women”]

[Personal Branding Strategy: A Roadmap for Professionals, Experts and Executives]