After personally dealing with a foreign (in the US) name my entire life, as a white person, I was shocked to learn that some people view this issue as racial. I struggle to understand how the situation would be different were I of African or other non-European descent. Americans' linguistic limitations would be the same. But I'm certainly interested to hear others' perspective on this.

Racial microaggressions depend on context and audience, and it's an unfortunate reality that what's harmless in one context is part of a larger system in another. (Also there's a massive difference between a barista and a boyfriend, in terms of the amount of respect put into names.)

For some recent American context for why context matters here, and why mispronouncing a white person's name is different, and also for some social science research into the negative race-linked impacts of mispronouncing names:

David Perdue willfully mispronounces Kamala Harris' name at Trump rally - CNNPolitics

Are Blacks Names ‘Weird,’ or Are You Just Racist? (Don't be put off by the headline, please. The article is thoughtful and answers the exact question you're asking--it's not actually accusing people who don't know the answer to the question of racism.)

Yes, Pronouncing Kamala Harris' Name Correctly Is A Big Deal. Here's Why. | HuffPost


Understanding Name-Based Microaggressions | Psychology Today

Why getting a name right matters - BBC Worklife

Or, the funny take! Substitute Teacher - Key & Peele - YouTube