"Lola" was not her "slave name."
"Lola" is an affectionate nickname that means "grandma" in Filipino.
"Lola" was the name her owners called her. Affectionate is a complicated word here, considering that affection didn't change the fact that a woman was held in servitude to the Tizon family. The least we can do in this situation is try to stop erasing her real name.
I think you're reading far too much into my comment — of course it's deeply disturbing and troubling that this woman was a slave. I was not suggesting at all that calling her "Lola" in any way mitigates the horror of that. I'm only stating that in standard usage, that is what the word means in Filipino.
Re:My Family’s Slave
by theparanoid on Tuesday May 16, 2017 @09:21PM
(#14354855)
Lola means grandmother in Tagalog.
Re:My Family’s Slave
by lawless123 on Wednesday May 17, 2017 @08:46AM
(#14357856)
In US history some black slave women working in the house were called "Mammy"
"Lola" in latin america is a common feminine name. "Lola" in Philippines simply means grandma. You dont have have to be their real grandma to be called Lola. Any elder can be called Lolo (grandpa) or Lola (grandma) as a sign of respect.
There's a lot to talk about in the article, and I'm not super-excited about digging deep into that here on hn, but I think it's worthwhile to point out her real name.