When Kamala Harris was sworn in as Vice President by the first Latina Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, she made the mistake of mispronouncing Kamala’s name. While an honest mistake, she could have asked how to pronounce it properly.
As Kamala repeated the oath of office, she said her name as Kamala (comma, la) just like the punctuation mark.
I Kamala Devi Harris do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and …
Why is it important to pronounce a person’s name correctly?
It is important because our name is an extension of who we are.
In the case of Kamala, it can also be about her heritage. Kamala is a Sanskrit word meaning lotus. While we might experience difficulty pronouncing uncommon names, once we know how, we should say it correctly.
When Kamala became the Democrat nominee after Joe Biden quit the race and endorsed her, Trump disparaged Kamala Harris by mispronouncing her name in his campaign speeches. We all know why he does that: to make Kamala sound foreign and less American.
Experts say that mispronouncing her name is not only racist but also sexist.
“If you’re a Republican, or let’s say an independent but leaning Republican, and you say, ‘Kuh-MA-luh,’ then everybody knows … either you’re not really for her, or you’re not consuming the media where people bother to say her name, right?” she said — Yahoo
Yes, Pronouncing Kamala Harris’ Name Correctly Is A Big Deal. Here’s Why.
, LA just like the punctuation mark.
I even made a shirt design with the “Comma La” logo not only to support Kamala Harris’s candidacy but also to spread awareness on how to properly say who could become the next US President.
But as her husband said at a campaign rally, like Trump, you can just call her “Madam President” after the elections.
Final words
How you say Kamala Harris’s name is a political issue. When Republicans and conservative figures like Tucker Carlson say her name incorrectly and call it a “whatever” moment whenever they are called out, it isn’t just dismissive; it’s a way to weaponize Harris’s heritage against her.
But Kamala Harris is fighting back. Every time you attack her, every time you mispronounce her name, to her, you are just plain weird.
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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.
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