Reclaiming My Name

Marie-Yolaine Toms

March 24, 2026 · 33 min

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MarieYolaine grew up between two worlds: Haitian at home, American everywhere else. At six years old, a teacher couldn't pronounce her name and gave her a new one. She answered to it for decades. It wasn't until she went back to Haiti, walking up a mountain and hearing people call her real name, that she realized how much she had missed it.

This is a conversation about what it means to carry your culture with pride, navigate identity across borders and generations, and reclaim what was always yours.

In this episode

  • The Power of a Name: The moment she realized her identity had been taken, and the journey to take it back.
  • Haitian "24/7 and Twice on Sundays": Navigating the distance between cultures without losing the connection.
  • The Reframe: Why she left her corporate career after the 2010 Haiti earthquake to found C2C Haiti.
  • Closing the Gap: One practical step anyone can take to reconnect with their own heritage.

Chapters

  1. 00:00Introduction: Tami shares her journey of cultural reconnection.
  2. 02:32Identity: "I am Haitian, 24/7 and twice on Sundays".
  3. 05:07Two Worlds: Navigating life in a "dual identity" between home and school.
  4. 11:31The Lesson: The difference between insulating children and preparing them for life.
  5. 17:45The Name Story: How a first-grade teacher replaced " MarieYolaine " with "Marie Brown".
  6. 20:10The Reclaiming: Hearing her real name called on a mountain in Haiti.
  7. 22:16The Filter: Why using a person's correct name is an act of dignity and respect.
  8. 30:20Closing the Gap: One step anyone can take to reconnect with their heritage.
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