It is not unusual to change one’s name to escape prejudice & racism. It is very common for American Jews to either assume an Anglo Saxon name; like Winona Horowitz assumed the identity Winona Ryder or Anglicise their names; like Rotstein transformed to Redstone.

Unfortunately, despite our best attempts, racism is unlikely to disappear. The good news is that the younger generation & Millennials are less tolerant of racism, bullying, intolerance & other social ills.