Twitter reacts with '#MyNameIs' after Senator mispronounces Kamala Harris' name
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After the incident, people of colour started a campaign in which several users came forward and explained their name and the meaning behind it
A day after the Republican Senator David Perdue mispronounced the Democratic VP elect Kamala Harris' name, Twitter slammed the Senator by starting a unique campaign against the Senator.
The incident happened when Perdue spoke ahead of US President Donald Trump in his rally in Georgia on Friday. He was caught on tape making sun of Harris' name by pronouncing her name in a weird exaggerated manner and then ending it by saying "I don`t know, whatever".
When the video surfaced in the popular social media platform Twitter, people of colour started a campaign in which several users came forward and explained their name and the meaning behind it.
Several South Asian-origin users came forward claiming that their grandmothers mothers were also named Kamala, and not "Kamala-mala-mala, I don’t know, whatever.”
One such user, Gautam Raghavan, tweeted, "#MyNameIs Gautam. It means bright light. The kind of bright light a Biden-Harris Administration will represent. And that is why #IWillVote."
My great grandmother’s name was Kamala. Not “Kamala-mala-mala, I don’t know, whatever.”#MyNameIs Gautam. It means bright light. The kind of bright light a Biden-Harris Administration will represent. And that is why #IWillVote.
— Gautam Raghavan (@gauragDC) October 17, 2020
Join me & make a plan at https://t.co/M8JYgEwDe2. https://t.co/B1JTEbaEYx
The campaign was joined by Maya Harris' daughter and Kamala Harris' relative, Meena Harris, who tweeted, "#MyNameIs Meenakshi. I'm named after the Hindu goddess, as well as my great great grandmother. I come from a long line of strong women who taught me to be proud of my heritage and to demand respect—especially from racist white men like @sendavidperdue who are threatened by us."
#MyNameIs Meenakshi. I'm named after the Hindu goddess, as well as my great great grandmother. I come from a long line of strong women who taught me to be proud of my heritage and to demand respect—especially from racist white men like @sendavidperdue who are threatened by us. https://t.co/Bonzz5n3Xu
— Meena Harris (@meenaharris) October 17, 2020
Scrolling through #MyNameIs at the end of a long day & it’s giving me life.💜
— Maya Harris (@mayaharris_) October 18, 2020
My name is Maya (magic/illusion) Lakshmi (goddess of beauty & wealth).
People mispronounce my names all the time, but you can’t tell me nothin’. I know who I am.
Show these folks who we are. #VOTE
African-Americans and people of colour also joined in and said they are thankful to their parents for giving them a name that represents their ancestral birthplace.
#MyName is Oni Jahi. My parents gave my sister and me #WestAfrican first names & #EastAfrican middle names.
— Oni #BraylaStone Blackstock (@DrOniBee) October 18, 2020
Oni means “desired” in Yoruba; Jahi means “dignity” in Swahili.
I’m grateful that my parents gave me names that tie me to my ancestral birthplace. https://t.co/mHr08Yz87u
Take a look at some of the other Twitter users who joined the campaign to amplify the fight against 'white priviledge'.
#MyNameIs Ted W. Lieu. The “W” is short for “Win-Ping” which in Mandarin means Cloud of Peace.
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) October 17, 2020
Also, make sure you vote. And if you are voting by mail, don’t forget the stupid secrecy envelope if your state requires it.
#MyNameIs Malcolm Kenyatta. My father named me to honor the legacy of two giants in the black diaspora: Malcolm X and Jomo Kenyatta. @sendavidperdue might not care, but my name reminds me everyday the systems of discrimination we must uproot. https://t.co/vY5JwuYXbz
— Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (@malcolmkenyatta) October 17, 2020
#MyNameIs Sikanyiselwe. Its Xhosa meaning is “we have been shone upon” or, “the light at the end of the tunnel”.
— Kanyi Maqubela (@km) October 17, 2020
My parents chose it believing they had better times ahead — just as so many of us do now. Go vote and make it true. #BidenHarris2020 https://t.co/RYB2KfASHI
#MyNameIs Sikanyiselwe. Its Xhosa meaning is “we have been shone upon” or, “the light at the end of the tunnel”.
— Kanyi Maqubela (@km) October 17, 2020
My parents chose it believing they had better times ahead — just as so many of us do now. Go vote and make it true. #BidenHarris2020 https://t.co/RYB2KfASHI
#MyNameIs Chris, but my middle name is Pey-Ning. In Chinese, it means abundance of peace. It's the kind of peace we'll all feel with Joe Biden as president
— Chris Lu (@ChrisLu44) October 17, 2020
This country belongs as much to me, @KamalaHarris and every kid with an ethnic name - as it does to David Perdue https://t.co/4mkUCq1aic
Gautam Raghavan, a user who participated in the campaign, also retweeted an old video posted by Kamala Harris in 2016 captioned, "People pronounce my name many different ways. Let #KidsForKamala show you how it’s done."
People pronounce my name many different ways. Let #KidsForKamala show you how it’s done. pic.twitter.com/7QoQGN0B4k
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) May 24, 2016