#MyNameIs Hashtag Celebrates Diversity
After David Perdue’s Racist Attack on Kamala Harris, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wa.) says, “Let’s build an inclusive America.”
Republican Sen. David Perdue willfully mispronounced the name of his Senate colleague and Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Friday, October 16, 2020. “Kamala or Kamala-mala-mala-mala, I don’t know. Whatever,” Perdue says in a clip filmed at a Trump rally in Macon, Georgia.
Harris’ spokesperson, Sabrina Singh, responded to Perdue’s remark in a tweet: “Well that is incredibly racist. Vote him out.” In a second tweet, she wrote, “He has been her Senate colleague for over 3 years. 3. Years. THREE. Do better.”
Harris’ political opponents have repeatedly mispronounced her name since she became the first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent on a national ticket. Democrats say the mispronunciations smack of racism. Her first name is pronounced “KAH’-mah-lah” — or, as she explains in her biography, “‘comma-la,’ like the punctuation mark.”
The incredibly racist stunt gave rise to the #MyNameIs hashtag on social media, which drew attention to the diversity of names found in the U.S. and called for the creation of a more tolerant and inclusive nation.
Kamala means “lotus” or “pale red” in Sanskrit. It’s also another name for the Hindu goddess, Lakshmi.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) explained that his name Rohit means “bright light” in Sanskrit, while Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) noted that “Ilham” means “inspiration” in Arabic.
Omar said that her name “inspired me to lead a life of service to others,” and that she, like Khanna, is voting for Harris and her presidential running-mate, Joe Biden.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) tweeted, “My Palestinian father named me Rashida. I love it & it has a strong history in my family. It means righteous. That’s right! Righteous Rashida!”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wa.) noted that her first name, which comes from “prem,” a Sanskrit word meaning “love,” is frequently mispronounced, as is her last name. “I only mind that when it is done willfully and continuously,” Jayapal said. “Let’s build an inclusive America.”
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a physician, epidemiologist, and public health expert whose 2018 gubernatorial campaign in Michigan was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), explained the meaning behind his name, Abdulrahman. “It means ‘devotee of The Most Merciful.’ It reminds me how important mercy is in this world.”
“For a long time,” El-Sayed said, “I thought it meant I couldn’t run for office. Then I did,” he added, “because my name is as American as apple pie… and baklawa.”
