Padma Lakshmi and Others Got Emotional When Kamala Harris Shouted Out Her “Chithis”

Padma Lakshmi and Others Got Emotional When Kamala Harris Shouted Out Her “Chithis”

Mindy Kaling, whose own mother passed away, also reacted to Harris speaking about her family.

Senator Kamala Harris' acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night centered primarily around family. Harris, the first woman of color to become a major party's nominee for vice president, talked about her upbringing as a biracial daughter of immigrants and credited those who paved the way for her to be standing on that stage. "That I am here tonight is a testament to the dedication of generations before me," she said. And viewers, including celebrities, got emotional at her tribute to her family.

In particular, Kamala listed some of the many people she considers family, naming her husband, her two children, her sister, her best friend, nieces, and godchildren. Then, the line that had some viewers teary-eyed, while others took to their Google search bars: "Family is my uncles, my aunts, and my chithis."

"Chithi" is a Tamil word for aunt, and for some, hearing Harris speak from that South Indian language—at a presidential convention, no less—was an important moment of representation and feeling seen.

Padma Lakshmi, who was born in the state of Tamil Nadu, where the Tamil language originated, got emotional hearing Harris' speech. "I literally have tears in my eyes," she wrote. "@KamalaHarris just said “chithis” which means auntie. My heart is so full right now."

Lakshmi doubled down on the sentiment in another tweet when she responded to art critic Jerry Saltz, who said he thought of her when watching Harris' speech. "Jerry, I had the biggest lump in my throat," she wrote.

More Twitter users chimed in, sharing what it meant to them to hear Harris proudly speak the word "chithis."

Harris also mentioned her mother, who passed away in 2009, throughout the speech, reflecting on the values she instilled in her and her sister. "She raised us to be proud, strong Black women. And she raised us to know and be proud of our Indian heritage." Another value Harris learned from her mother, she says, was to put family first, "the family you're born into and the family you choose."

Mindy Kaling, who also lost her mother, shared, via Twitter, how emotional the speech made her feel. "Put my daughter to bed and am watching @SenKamalaHarris a little delayed," she wrote. "This intro video of her sister, niece and stepdaughter is already making me cry. Should I wake up my 2 year old and have her watch?"

Kaling continued: "As someone who has a deceased Indian mother and scientist who was my best friend, I can’t believe this is our candidate for Vice President. How in my lifetime? How?"

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