[News Figures] "Don't Complain, Take Action" The Person Who Shaped Harris's Values

Mother Shamala Gopalan... Indian-American Working Mom
Moved from India to the US at 19... Raised Two Daughters After Divorce
Harris "The Most Important Person in My Life"

"She taught us never to complain about inequality but to do something about it."

Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate challenging to become the first female president of the United States, mentioned her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, during her acceptance speech on the final day of the party convention on the 23rd (local time). Since beginning her political career as a Senate candidate in 2015, Vice President Harris has repeatedly referred to her mother in interviews and public appearances, clearly emphasizing the significant influence she had on shaping her values.

Kamala Harris (far right) taking the oath at the 2004 San Francisco State Attorney General appointment ceremony, with her mother, Mrs. Shyamala Gopalan (center) beside her.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Harris’s mother, Gopalan, was originally from South India and immigrated to California, USA, at the age of 19, enrolling at UC Berkeley. She earned her PhD at 25 and went on to live her life as a distinguished breast cancer researcher. She met and married Donald Harris, Kamala Harris’s father, in 1963, divorced in 1971, and passed away in 2009 after battling colon cancer.

Gopalan was a divorced working mom who raised Harris and her sister Maya. The most significant part of her influence on Harris’s values was the awareness to never yield to racial discrimination. As an Indian American raising two daughters, Gopalan taught them to be proud as Black women, just as she had lived confidently in American society.

In her 2019 autobiography, Harris revealed, "My mother knew that in the place she settled (the United States), her two daughters would be seen as Black women," and "She was determined to raise us to be confident and proud Black women."

Based on this upbringing, Harris has said in several interviews, "I was born Black, and I will die Black," and "I am proud to be Black." If Harris wins the upcoming November election against the Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump, she will become the first Black female president of the United States.

Besides this, Gopalan reportedly responded to Harris’s endless complaints during her school days by asking, "So what are you going to do about it?" making it clear that merely complaining does not solve problems. When Harris acted distracted or misbehaved in high school, Gopalan firmly told her, "Never do anything half-heartedly."

At the same time, when facing various criticisms such as "You are too young" or "No one like you has ever held this role before," she taught Harris not to succumb to such pressures. She told Harris, "Don’t let anyone tell you who you are," and "Show them who you are yourself." Additionally, she taught her to understand that her individual circumstances exist within a larger social context.

In a speech last year, Harris quoted her mother saying, "Do you think you (young people) just suddenly fell from a coconut tree?" and emphasized, "You exist within the life you live and all the contexts that came before it." This statement from Harris’s mother became a major topic on social media platforms like TikTok.

In a 2020 public appearance, Harris described Gopalan as "the most important person in my life," explaining, "She is always a part of us (myself and my sister Maya), and most of who we are today is thanks to our mother."