Who is Glenda McNeal? Ethnicity comes under scrutiny in wake of Issa Rae mispronunciation video 

American Express executive Glenda McNeal has caused a stir online after a clip of her recent interview with Issa Rae at CultureCon went viral. During the weekend, the latter shared her experience of transforming from an “Awkward Black Girl” to a renowned household name. However, the beginning of the duo’s conversation left netizens critical after McNeal butchered the actress’ name.

X (formerly Twitter) user @notpenda shared the now-viral clip, which has amassed nearly 11 million views. They wrote in their tweet- “when I tell you we were not having it with the mispronunciation of [sic] Issa Rae's name.”

During the pair’s conversation, Glenda McNeal started by applauding Issa Rae for her “incredible work.” While doing so, the former mispronounced Rae’s first name by calling her “Ih-suh,” instead of the correct pronunciation of “Ee-suh.”

Several audience members corrected Glenda McNeal as Rae laughed and looked down at her lap. Responding to Rae’s fanbase in the audience, McNeal shouted-

“I’m part of the community, honey, it’s okay.”

A member of the crowd then said- “And you didn’t say her name right.” McNeal added:

“It’s okay to be vulnerable and don’t get it right all the time. That’s my life. Embrace it, girl. Embrace it.”

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Glenda McNeal is an executive at American Express

According to her LinkedIn account, McNeal is the president of Enterprise Strategic Partnerships at American Express. She joined the organization in 1989 as the Assistant Manager to Vice President.

She took on the roles of Vice President of the GM New Industry Development, SVP Global Partnerships, SVP, GM Retail & Emerging Industries, and the Executive Vice President of the Global Client Group.

Before joining American Express, she worked at Salomon Brothers and Arthur Andersen & Co. According to Patch, McNeal is the first African American woman to become a member of American Express’ executive committee.

According to American Express’ official website, McNeal is a board member of Nordstrom, Inc., RLJ Lodging Trust, Global Business Travel, World Travel & Tourism Council, and the Montclair Film Festival, amongst others. She was also a board member of the U.S. Steel Corporation, Vente-Privee US, and PepsiCo Multicultural Advisory Board in the past.

The business executive attained a Bachelor of Arts from Dillard University, where she graduated summa cum laude. She went on to pursue an MBA degree at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

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Glenda McNeal’s pronunciation of Issa Rae’s name sparks debate over her ethnicity

As Glenda McNeal mentioned that she was “part of the community” as she defended herself for mispronouncing Issa Rae’s name, netizens began conversing about the same on X. In response, many internet users reiterated that McNeal was certainly Black. A few tweets regarding the clip read:

Netizens address the viral CultureCon moment (Image via X)

Netizens address the viral CultureCon moment (Image via X)

Netizens address the viral CultureCon moment (Image via X)

Netizens address the viral CultureCon moment (Image via X)

Netizens address the viral CultureCon moment (Image via X)

Issa Rae has addressed her irritation about her name being mispronounced in the past. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune in 2016, she said “Ih-suh” sounds “incomplete.” She added that it gave off the impression that it was a part of another name like “Melissa.”