When Dee arrives at her mother's humble country home with her boyfriend, Hakim-a-barber, Mrs. Johnson addresses her daughter by her name. Dee responds by correcting her mother and saying that she has changed her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo. Dee proceeds to tell Mama that she changed her name because she could not bear to be named after people who oppressed her ancestors. Essentially, Dee changed her name to express solidarity with her African ancestors and publicly reject the name given to her ancestors by their former slave masters. However, Dee's act of changing her name is also a rejection of her direct family's heritage. Mama explains that she can trace Dee's name back to the Civil War and cherishes her daughter's name because it belonged to her loved ones. Dee's attempt at celebrating her African heritage misses the mark, as she unknowingly denies her real heritage. This is also emphasized by her perception of the family quilts.
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