Source: ROBYN BECK / Getty
GOP Sen. David Purdue put his racism on full display when he decided to mispronounce Democratic Vice President candidate Kamala Harris‘ name. Twitter banded together to counter Purdue’s ignorance.
The Georgia Senator, who is currently in danger of losing his seat, didn’t make his life any easier. On Friday (Oct.16), during one of Donald Trump’s latest COVID-19 super-spreader events disguised as a campaign rally, Purdue played to the racist masses and intentionally mispronounced the California Senator’s name.
Purdue’s stunt was immediately and justifiably deemed as racist. In response, Twitter users with diverse names clapped back at the clown with the #MyNameIs movement over the weekend, shedding light on the diversity in the United States while calling for more inclusion and tolerance.
Harris’ fellow congressional colleagues like Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) explained that his name means “bright” in Sanskrit and plans to cast a vote for the Biden/Harris ticket in this upcoming election.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who is often attacked by the super-spreader-in-chief during his rallies, noted that her name “Ilham” means “inspiration” in Arabic.
Omar’s fellow squad member, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) joined in on the inclusivity express explaining that her name was given to her by her Palestinian father and that it means “righteous.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wa.) explained that her name, Pramila, comes from the Sanskrit word “Prem,” which means love when translated. She also pointed out that both her first and last names are often mispronounced and only get offended “when it is done willfully and continuously.”
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a Bernie Sanders-endorsed gubernatorial candidate in Michigan who ran back in 2018, is also a physician, epidemiologist, and public health expert. He explained the meaning behind his name Abdulrahman.
“It means ‘devotee of The Most Merciful.’ It reminds me how important mercy is in this world.”
Politics in the United States is insanely polarizing. Still, the #MyNameIs hashtag was refreshing to see, displaying how we could all come together to call out racism when it is blatantly obvious.
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Photo: ROBYN BECK / Getty
