Know all about the life of Kamala Harris’ mother: From her Indian roots to a new life in the US
PTC News Desk: Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic presidential nomination in Chicago today, honoring her Indian-origin mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, before an enthusiastic crowd. Speaking on the final day of the Democratic National Convention, Harris reflected on her mother’s journey from India to California at age 19, driven by a dream to become a scientist who could cure breast cancer.
“My mother, Shyamala Harris, had her own dream. I miss her every day—especially now. I know she’s looking down tonight and smiling,” Harris said. She recounted how her mother raised her and her sister Maya in a modest apartment in the East Bay, a working-class neighborhood filled with hardworking firefighters, nurses, and construction workers who took pride in their homes.
Shyamala Gopalan Harris, a specialist in breast cancer, emigrated from Tamil Nadu in 1960 to pursue a doctorate in endocrinology at the University of California, Berkeley. She passed away from cancer on February 11, 2009, a year before Kamala was elected as California’s Attorney General.
Harris also spoke about her father, Donald J. Harris, who moved from British Jamaica in 1961 and is an emeritus professor of economics at Stanford University. “My mother was supposed to return to India after finishing school for an arranged marriage, but she met my father, Donald Harris, a student from Jamaica. They fell in love and married, and that choice of self-determination gave my sister Maya and me our lives,” Harris explained.
Kamala’s sister, Maya Harris, also addressed the Chicago gathering, highlighting their mother’s journey and her desire for her daughters to forge their own paths. “Mommy’s journey and the opportunity she wanted for Kamala and me is a distinctly American story,” Maya said. She added that if their mother were present, she would express pride in Kamala and then promptly remind her, “That’s enough. You’ve got work to do.”
Earlier in the day, Kamala Harris officially accepted the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nomination to run against Republican Donald Trump. Harris emerged as the Democratic candidate after President Joe Biden, 81, stepped down from the race last month. If successful, Harris would become the first woman elected as US President.