Kerry Washington took the stage to kick off prime-time coverage.

She began by criticizing any naysayers about a celebrity being at the convention and noted that this was not her moment, but every American's.

"You are the messengers. You are the fixers. Dare I say it? You are the Olivia Popes," she said referring to her character on the hit ABC show "Scandal." "You are the superheroes saving this democracy."

Washington ended her speech with a reunion with her "Scandal" co-star Tony Goldwyn, who came out to take a selfie with the roaring crowd.

Harris' two great-nieces were brought out for a tutorial with the crowd on how to pronounce her first name.

Since Harris entered the presidential race, Trump has reverted to an old ploy in his line of attack against her: mispronouncing and mocking her name.

"Confusion is understandable. Disrespect is not," host Kerry Washington said.

Her name is a nod to her Indian heritage on her mother's side. In her 2019 memoir, Harris wrote that she pronounced it "Comma-la" and that it means "lotus flower."

The Chicks are singing the national anthem, as the prime-time programming kicks off.

It's been more than 20 years after the group went from country music darlings to pariahs after speaking out against then-President George W. Bush at a concert in the run-up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

"Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas," singer Natalie Maines told fans in London in March 2003.

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The Chicks sing the national anthem at the DNC

The country group sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the prime-time programming kicks off.

Maines later apologized, saying her remark was "disrespectful." But country radio stations across the country yanked the trio from playlists, while some protesters resorted to publicly trashing their CDs to demonstrate against the singers' perceived lack of patriotism.

The group changed their named from The Dixie Chicks in June 2020, during the height of the Black Lives Matter protests. They also released their first album in 14 years -- "Gaslighter" -- that year.

Scores of attendees are waving American flags as DJ Metro spins songs including Beyonce's "Texas Hold 'Em" and John Mellencamp's "Small Town."

A big theme of the week is patriotism.