BETTENDORF, IA - DECEMBER 22: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets volunteers at a United Steelworkers Union Hall on December 22, 2015 in Bettendorf, Iowa. Clinton spent the day campaigning in Iowa, and during her final event of the day thanked local volunteers and campaing staff for their support. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) (2015 Getty Images)
Following the social media backlash after Hillary Clinton’s “abuela” post, which drew the ire of a number of Hispanics, the Clinton campaign stood by its controversial message. But not enough not to tweak its title.
Clinton’s director of Latino outreach Lorella Praeli released a statement Wednesday stating, “As a Latina who recently became a citizen, I know firsthand the challenges that many in this country face, including fear of deportation, and Hillary is committed to fighting against Republican attacks to tear families like mine apart.”
The Peruvian-born Praeli received her American citizenship earlier this month. An outspoken immigration activist and a so-called "Dreamer" who entered the U.S. illegally as a child and gained deportation protection a few years ago.
The post was originally named "7 ways Hillary Clinton is just like your abuela" (the Spanish word for grandmother), but after the backlash it's title was tweaked to “7 things Hillary Clinton has in common with your abuela.”
With either heading, the post has been derided by many online users for playing on stereotypes, using basic Spanish words and including a photo of the candidate with the middle-aged Puerto Rican singer Marc Anthony to show she is in touch with a younger generation.
The message was posted on Tuesday, shortly after Chelsea Clinton announced she is pregnant with the candidate's second grandchild.
"It's no secret that Hillary is loving her role as grandma," the campaign post said. "And she was thrilled to learn that next summer, her granddaughter Charlotte will have a sibling to play with."
The post goes on to mention the word "respeto" (Spanish for respect) a few times, paired with numerous GIFs, including one in which Clinton goes after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump by saying she has one word for him: "Basta! Enough!"
The post ends with, "Everybody loves abuela — even this guy," while showing a picture of Clinton alongside Anthony.
The Clinton campaign told BuzzFeed that the entry’s writer, Latina staffer Paola Luisi, “wanted to do something because Clinton reminds her of her abuela, and because of the news Monday that Clinton was going to be a grandmother again.”
Twitter users expressed their outrage as soon as the post was uploaded to hillaryclinton.com, adopting the hashtag #NotMiAbuela or #NotMyAbuela.
Activist Marisol Ramos tweeted: "Hilary is #NotMiAbuela #NotMyAbuela because I was separated by mine by many miles and a militarized border."
Another Twitter user, Laura Cristal Magaña, wrote: "Abuela couldn't visit me in USA because she didn't have ‘papers;' #NotMyAbuela #notmiabuela."
Back in October, Clinton also played up her "abuela" status – and used the same photo of her and Anthony – in a Spanish-language post called "6 things you didn't know about Hillary Clinton."
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