“Myself, by Any Other Name.”

Do you feel connected to and empowered by your last name? Was it important to you (if you are a female) to keep your father’s last name even after the marriage(s)? I certainly connect with my father’s name who passed away from lung cancer the month I came to America. In the powerful essay I got to illustrate for the TIES column this week, Pari Berk, the writer, felt a need to reconnect with her maiden name to help her fight a terrible disease.