#MyNameIs: Twitter users hit back at Republican who mocked Kamala Harris' name by explaining their own

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Social media users, politicians and American personalities used Twitter to support Kamala Harris and condemn a Republican who deliberately mispronounced the Democrat’s name.

Using the hashtag #MyNameIs, Twitter users described the origins behind their own names and how to pronounce them after senator David Perdue disregarded the Democratic vice presidential nominee’s name.

"KAH'-mah-lah? Kah-MAH'-lah? Kamala-mala-mala? I don't know. Whatever," he told Donald Trump supporters in Macon, Georgia, on Friday.

Those comments, which echoed the US president’s previous dismissal of the Democrat’s name, were soon deemed to be "racist" – and led to a Twitter backlash.

Ms Harris’s campaign secretary, Sabrina Singh, said the Republican’s disrespect was “intentional” and “incredibly racist”, particularly as the pair had worked together as senators in Congress.

"I'll keep it simple: If you can pronounce ‘former' Senator David Perdue, you can pronounce ‘future’ Vice President Kamala Harris," Ms Singh added on Twitter.

Social media users, meanwhile, wrote supportive posts with the #MyNameIs hashtag.

Democratic congresswoman Ilham Omar said she preferred “Ilhan”, and admitted: “I never liked the M sound. It means “Inspiration” in Arabic,”

“My father named me Ilham and inspired me to lead a life of service to others,” she added on Saturday. “In his honour I am voting for an inspirational ticket over desperate and maddening one.”

Representative Ro Khanna made a similar statement, writing how: “#MyNameIs Rohit, and my friends call me Ro. It means bright light in Sanskrit. This election, #IWillVote for an inclusive America by voting for Joe Biden & Kamala Harris”.

Ms Harris, who could become the country’s first black Indian-American vice president if she and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden are elected next month, has previously described how to pronounce her name, which means “lotus flower” – a sacred symbol in Asian cultures.

Mr Perdue’s campaign communications director, John Burke, said the Republican had not meant any disrespect. saying: “Senator Perdue simply mispronounced Senator Harris' name, and he didn't mean anything by it.”