The Pleiades, image: Wikisky
What's in a name?
Oliver Petty is now Oliver North. You know it's really real when you say it to the world. Or at least to the audience at The Strength in Our Stars Conference. What is interesting about names is that we have a fascination with them. Names are identifiers of cultural and historical importance that, for many, play a large part in who they are and who they become. When we consider stars in the sky, many have names in Latin, Greek, or Arabic, as they were stars that early astronomers began to chart. Particular stars became reference points within a constellation, notably for their brightness. Even when we consider stars as celebrities, Prince changed his name to the artist formally known as Prince along with a representative symbol. He did this to communicate the power of ownership of a name amidst his legal battle with Warner Bros. Publishing. Prince clearly expressed his need for his artistry to be his own and was willing to fight for his name and everything attached to it to keep it. And here is where you will find Oliver doing the same. Whether you are naming a star, a child, or a celebrity, one thing remains the same intentionality, and every star has a name.
Although Oliver has changed his name, this is a transitional change, not a disrespectful one, toward his father or his family. For him, some things are just personal choices. When you realize that you are the master of your fate, you must take control of your ship's direction and chart new territory. Also, the name Oliver itself has meaning as he was not only named after his father but his Grandfather. In old Norse, the name Oliver comes from (Áleifr), meaning “ancestor’s descendent.”(name doctor, 2022). So through his first name, the legacy will continue to live on. He would like to give a special thank you to his Grandfather, Oliver Sr. while he has never met him, he’s heard stories about him and has gained some insight into where he gets his entrepreneurial spirit. Oliver’s Grandfather owned multiple businesses, including a black-owned school bus, a bread trucking business that provided bread and pastries in the inner city, along with multiple properties in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the 1950s. Oliver is proud to carry on his Grandfather's legacy of ownership and hopes everyone would understand it's time he places his own star in this galaxy while helping others to do the same.
“Allow him to reintroduce himself; his name is O”
It was news to many when Oliver announced his name change from Oliver Petty to Oliver North at the Strength in Our Stars Student Wellness Conference. For him, as with anything else, everything is very intentional, and his name change is very much so that. Familially, names carry a lot of meaning and a lot of weight. What Oliver wanted to demonstrate was a change in trajectory hence the name North. North is meant for us to look up for inspired thought and liberation, just like astronomers did. And abolitionist. Harriett Tubman’s critical resource for freedom was the North Star. “Celestial wayfinding knowledge—navigating by observing the stars and other night sky patterns—passed from generation to generation” (NPS, West, 2022). Similarly, so is Oliver. As he re-charts not only the trajectory of his family legacy but also those he encounters. There are always behaviors we want to re-establish, not repeat - name changes can reflect generational curses, personally and culturally. When we say even stars have names, separation does not diminish the value of a star just because we separate, because we are all responsible for how brightly we shine. It just means the creation of a new constellation—a shift in climate and culture. For Oliver, his name change meant a rebirth. A unique opportunity to create a new legacy not just for himself and his future children but also for students and individuals who need a reminder of the purpose inside of them. Oliver North is a man who, in his own way, is an educational abolitionist who shows up exactly as he is to tell you to look up and look around and realize you were walking among the stars the whole time.