Many Twitter users are giving support to Kamala Harris after Georgia Republican Senator David Perdue made fun of her first name during a rally last Friday in Macon.
Not-so-classy move: Perdue was speaking ahead of President Donald Trump’s arrival at the Macon rally last week when he mispronounced Harris’ name in a mocking manner, according to CNN.
Senator Perdue never would have done this to a male colleague.
“Ka-MAL-a (sic), Ka-MAL-a or Kamala, Kamala, Ka-mala, -mala, -mala, I don’t know, whatever,” the 70-year-old politician said.
Georgia Democrat Senator Jon Ossoff, who is in a tight reelection battle with Perdue, called out the latter for his mispronunciations in a series of Twitter posts.
“My opponent, GOP Sen. David Perdue of anti-Semitic attack ad infamy, just mocked Sen. Harris’ name as ‘Kamala-mala-mala-whatever’ at a Trump rally. We are so much better than this,” he wrote.
Harris’ press secretary, Sabrina Singh, also condemned the senator and urged voters to vote for Ossoff instead, claiming Perdue’s remarks are inexcusable having been her “Senate colleague for over 3 years.”
After the rally, Perdue’s camp released a statement to CNN defending the senator’s deliberate mispronunciation of Harris’ name, saying, “Senator Perdue simply mispronounced Senator Harris’ name, and he didn’t mean anything by it. He was making an argument against the radical socialist agenda that she and her endorsed candidate Jon Ossoff are pushing.”
Show of support: After Perdue’s mockery went viral online, many users began voicing their support for Harris by making the hashtag #MyNameIs trending on Twitter, Mashable reported.
People used the hashtag to explain the meaning behind their names and how to pronounce them.
As for “Kamala,” Behind the Name said it means “lotus” or “pale red” in Sanskrit. It is also another name for Lakshmi, a Hindu goddess.
#MyNameIs is giving me life. Your name is the prayer your parents breathe into you. It is a promise, a hope, and a gift. It should be respected. Sen. Perdue & every other public figure who mocks a name to score racist and anti-immigrant pts should be ashamed of themselves. https://t.co/rAm3HXoTT5
#MyNameIs is Asmeret. It means ‘she brought/caused unity’ in Tigrigna(Eritrean). I was born during a time of war, to free Eritrea from foreign occupation. My parents gave me this name as it was their wish that Eritreans would stop fighting against each other & form a united front https://t.co/7LnWkRafqt
#MyNameIs Farah and it means ‘joy’ and ‘Happiness’ in Arabic. Unfortunately, people never get it right when I order coffee, it’s always Sarah, Marah and Tarah. Common people my name is not that difficult for you to handle. 😑
#MyNameIs Anna. It’s of Hebrew origin meaning “grace” & is often associated with motherly instincts. My sister’s name Ida means “like the moon” 🌝 and my brother’s name Arya means faithful.
My mom’s name was Nasrin, which means wild rose. 🌹
P.S. My favorite #MyNameIs story is my dad’s: His name is “Jai” — which means “Victory” — and is quite possibly the easiest Indian name in the world to pronounce. However, when he arrived in America, he went by “Jack” 🤷🏾♀️😂😂😂 https://t.co/dNJO6SZHKq
#MyNameIs Nazanin, which in Persian (Farsi) means beautiful, and/or sweetheart. I’m very proud of my name, and of my Iranian heritage. When people ask if there’s something easier they can call me, I say, “No.” 😊
#MyNameIs Edrees (full). It is an Islamic name that means “self taught”. For unexplictable reasons, a large majority of people consistenly mispells it as “Endrees” and I don’t know why.
— Eddie Rashan is at #SACNAS2020 (@EdreesRashan) October 18, 2020
#MyNameIs Bharti. I was given this name by my parents & grandparents. According to the Hindu pundit, it would bring me luck. I was the first person in my family born in the U.S., but my name means “of India.” My name has always grounded me. #IWillVote
#MyNameIs Aasiyah, and it’s an Arabic name which means queen of pillars who holds the foundation together. It also means a healer. I’m named after the Pharoah’s wife – the same one who took Prophet Moses in and raised him. My name isn’t hard to pronounce. Practice makes perfect. pic.twitter.com/6TAhKMsaU7
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