Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

Thirty years ago today, in Oakland County Probate Court in Pontiac, Michigan, I changed my name from "Keith Douglas Jackson" to "Keith Burgess-Jackson." "Burgess" is my mother's maiden name; "Jackson" is my father's name. I changed my name because I objected to the patriarchal naming practice of our society. Some people with hyphenated names take the name of their spouse, which is risky, since marriages end. I will always have the same parents.