Harris taps nieces at DNC to set record straight on ‘Kamala’ pronunciation

CHICAGO — Vice President Kamala Harris put her family in the spotlight at her Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Scandal actor Kerry Washington sought the help of Harris’ nieces Amara and Leela on how people can properly pronounce “Kamala” on Thursday, shortly before the vice president is expected to accept the 2024 Democratic nomination.

The pig-tailed pair explained “Kamala” was pronounced by putting together “comma” and “lah,” leading the United Center arena in a call and response before Washington completed the chant with “for president!”

“First you say comma, like comma in a sentence,” Amara said. “Then you say, ‘La,’ like lalalala,” Leila finished.

Amara and Leela’s mother Meena, the daughter of Harris’ sister Maya, then came on stage, with Harris’ stepdaughter Ella Emhoff with husband Doug and goddaughter Helena Hudlin.

“I grew up in Oakland, California in a house full of extraordinary women: my mom, my grandma, and my aunty, who showed me the meaning of service,” Meena Harris said. “She guided me. Now she’s guiding my own children. And I know she’ll guide our country forward.”

“Kamala came into my life when I was 14, famously a very easy time for a teenager,” Ella Emhoff added. “She’s never stopped listening to me and she’s not going to stop listening to all of us.”

The united front comes after 2021 comments from Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) criticizing “childless cat ladies” were resurfaced shortly after former President Donald Trump announced him as his running mate. Vance has only apologized to cats for his remarks, reiterating that he has been taken out of context.

Harris will accept her party’s nod in a speech Thursday previewing what she is calling a “New Way Forward.”