One word at Wednesday night’s Democatic National Convention stood out more than others: chittis.
Kamala Harris, the first Asian American and first black woman to be nominated on a major party ticket, astounded audiences by using the Tamil endearment in her acceptance speech, The Washington Post reports.
“[My mother] raised us to be strong, proud black women, and she raised us to know and be proud of our Indian heritage,” Harris said in her speech. “She taught us to put family first…Family is my uncles, my aunts and my chittis.”
Chittis, according to The Washington Post, is a term that roughly translates to “auntie.” Harris’ usage of the word pays homage to the particular South Indian region her mother comes from, which has also produced names like Google CEO Sundar Pichai and actress Mindy Kaling.
The move was met with an outpouring of joy on social media, The Post reports.
“A Tamil word in an acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. Still blows my mind,” Hari Sevugan, the former deputy campaign manager for Pete Buttigieg, tweeted.
It’s not the first time speaking in another language has won the hearts of audiences.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Bong Joon Ho, the director of Parasite, accepted his Golden Globe award in full Korean with the aid of a translator. Parasite was the first Korean film to win the Golden Globe in the best foreign language category.
The movie would go on to take home four Oscars, also becoming the first non-English film in Oscar history to win Best Picture.
“Once you overcome the 1-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films,” Ho said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “I think we use only one language: the cinema.”
A year before that, Sandra Oh made history in 2019 as the first person to speak Korean at the Golden Globes. During her acceptance speech for best actress in a television series, Oh took the time to thank her parents in Korean, Teen Vogue reports.
“Umma and appa, saranghaeyo,” Oh said, which translates to “Mom and dad, I love you.”
Speaking in another language besides the dominant English, Teen Vogue reports, is a “political act.”
“Considering Hollywood’s ongoing inclusion issues, speaking Korean is both a subtle and candid way to bring light to that lack of diversity,” Teen Vogue reports. “And for those that speak Korean at home with their own families, they were able to see a part of themselves in Sandra’s thank you speech.”
But the impact of words can also be negative. President Trump’s usage of phrases such as “Chinese virus” are seen by experts as dangerous, The Washington Post reports, and can be connected to the rise in anti-Asian attacks.
“Those statements are, in my mind, a game changer,” Gilbert Gee, a professor with UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health said, according to The Post. “Now, they’ve basically made it okay to have anti-Asian bias.
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