Addressing thousands of supporters at a campaign rally in Georgia for US President Donald Trump on Friday, Republican Senator David Perdue mocked Democratic vice president nominee Kamala Harris for her name.
“KAH-mah-lah? Kah-MAH-lah? Kamala-mala-mala?! I don’t know, whatever,” the senator said about Harris, the first Black and South Asian American woman to be a vice-presidential candidate in the US. The audience laughed at the repeated mispronunciation.
A day later, a spokesperson for Perdue tweeted that the first-term senator “didn’t mean anything by it”. But his taunts sparked an intense flood of criticism of the senator, who is running for re-election this year.
By Saturday, scores of people of colour in the US – particularly Indian Americans – had taken to Twitter, condemning Perdue’s remark. with the hashtag #MyNameIs. According to The Hindu, Amit Jani, the Joe Biden campaign’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Outreach Coordinator, launched the online campaign to “push back against the bigotry”.
As they expressed their support for the Democratic ticket, South Asian Twitter users explained the meaning of their own names.
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
#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
#MyNameIs Aftab. It means sunshine. In one generation, my parents have gone from immigrating to this country to watching their son serve as an elected official.
— Aftab Pureval (@AftabPureval) October 17, 2020
I can’t wait to vote for @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris because they value diversity and believe in our American story. https://t.co/KyXLrgx6lX
#MyNameIs Swati.
— Swati Mylavarapu (@Swatipedia) October 17, 2020
I'm named after a star in the sky.
For over 1500 yrs, a lyrical Sanskrit poem has celebrated the mystical moment under this star when a dewdrop falls from the heavens into an oyster, creating a precious pearl.
This pearl just voted. https://t.co/AxRMRH2OdG
#MyNameIs Shivam. It is the sanskrit singular name of Lord Shiva and means auspicious. I was raised to be proud of my name, and to never let anyone else's convenience undercut my self worh and dignity. America is everyone, and every name is American. https://t.co/gR1uVXuVaN
— Shivam Bhatt (@elektrotal) October 17, 2020
#MyNameIs Anand. In Tamil it means “happiness” or “bliss”
— Anand Swaminathan (@EMSwami) October 17, 2020
The name’s roots are in Sanskrit - one of the ancient languages
Names have meaning. belittling them belittles us.
I’m an American and so is my name
#MyNameIs Kimberly Asha Mukerjee. I’m half-Indian just like @KamalaHarris and I’m proud of my heritage. My last name is pronounced Mook-er-gee. My middle name means hope in Bengali.
— Kim Mukerjee, MD, MPH (@KimMukerjee) October 17, 2020
And hope is exactly what I have for our country. When we #vote, things change. #VoteBidenHarris https://t.co/eJWwVVISe6