NOW that she’s the official Democratic presidential nominee, voters are interested in learning more about Kamala Harris’ family, including her younger sister, Maya Lakshmi Harris.
Unlike the vice president, who has no children of her own, Maya became a mother at just 17 years old and was forced to juggle law school and a career in public policy with the strenuous demands of motherhood.
Many people are familiar with Kamala and her immediate family, including Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and her stepchildren, Cole and Ella.
However, not many voters know as much about Harris’ younger sister, Maya.
Maya, who was born on January 30, 1967, grew up alongside her older sister in San Francisco, California.
The duo were raised by their parents, Shyamala Gopalan, a biomedical scientist and immigrant from India, and Donald J. Harris, a Jamaican-American economist and professor emeritus at Stanford University.
After their parents divorced in 1971, Kamala and Maya split their time living with their mother, visiting their mother’s relatives in India, and visiting their father’s relatives in Jamaica.
DNC highlights…
- Beyoncé and Taylor Swift fans were left devastated after the superstars failed to show up to support or endorse Kamala Harris during the final night of the DNC.
- Rumors swirled that former President George W. Bush would surprise the DNC crowd on Thursday.
- Vice President Harris’ younger sister, Maya Harris, and niece, Meena Harris, spoke at the event.
- Meena called the presidential candidate her “auntie” and an “extraordinary woman.”
- Kamala Harris, who wore a dark blue suit, accepted the Democrats’ nomination, becoming the first biracial woman to receive a presidential nomination by a major party.
- Echoing the remarks of her fellow constituents and former presidents, Harris painted Donald Trump as a “dangerous and unserious man.”
- Trump lashed out at Harris’ acceptance speech, calling the VP “all talk, no action.”
- The Republican presidential candidate fired off a series of posts on Truth Social during Harris’ speech on Thursday evening.
Shortly after graduating from Bishop O’Dowd High School, however, Maya’s life took a sharp turn.
She gave birth to her daughter, Meena Harris, on October 20, 1984, when she was just 17 years old.
Still, Maya managed to balance motherhood with her schooling.
She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1989.
That year, she enrolled in Stanford Law School, where she eventually became the editor of the Stanford Law Review.
While in law school, she was also a co-coordinator of the Domestic Violence Clinic, a co-chair of the Student Steering Committee, and an active member of the East Palo Alto Community Law Project.
In a 2010 interview with Stanford Lawyer Magazine, Maya said her parents were the driving force behind her decision to pursue law.
“Their activism and what they were striving to achieve was what we talked about at the dinner table,” she said.
“I knew at a very early age that I was going to one day have a career that would allow me to work for social justice and focus on improving the quality of people’s lives.”
Democratic National Convention roundup
Delegates from across the nation decended into Chicago's United Center to formally celebrate Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democrats presidential nominee.
DNC Night 1 highlights:
- Delegates showed an outpouring of gratitude for President Joe Biden, the Democratic incumbent who decided to end his reelection campaign on July 21, 2024, and pass the torch to his vice president to lead the nation.
- An emotional Biden, who wiped away tears as a raucous crowd chanted, “Thank you, Biden, delivered an emphatic speech that diverted past the scheduled primetime hour.
- Supporters praised the president for his 50-year career in public service that began in Delaware.
- “For 50 years, like many of you, I’ve given my heart and soul to our nation, and I’ve been blessed, a million times in return, with the support of the American people,” Biden said.
- Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received a standing ovation as she called Kamala Harris and Tim Walz’s campaign “the future.”
DNC Night 2 highlights:
- Kamala Harris secured the Democratic nomination in a chaotic and gaffe-filled roll call during night 2 of the convention.
- Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham spoke at the DNC and said behind closed doors, Donald Trump would refer to his supporters as “basement dwellers.”
- Grisham was one of five Republicans to speak at the convention.
- The Obamas electrified the Chicago crowd, delivering keynote speeches one after the other.
- Former First Lady Michelle Obama gave a rousing speech blasting Trump as a racist and misogynist.
- Barack Obama, one of the most influential figures in the Democratic Party since leaving the Oval Office in 2017, called his successor a “whining and childish” billionaire.
DNC Night 3 highlights:
- Former President Bill Clinton delivered an enthusiastic speech to delegates, but his low-tone voice and thinning gray hair left supporters worried.
- Vice President nominee Tim Walz was cheered by his former high school football team he previously coached as he headlined Night 3 of the DNC.
- Walz, or “Coach” Walz as referred to by presidential candidate Kamala Harris, packed his 16-minute speech with football references, admitting to Democrats that they’re behind in the race.
- “It’s the fourth quarter. We’re down a field goal,” Walz said.
- “But we’re on offense, and we’ve got the ball. We’re driving down the field. And boy, do we have the right team.
- “We’re going to leave it on the field. That’s how we’ll keep moving forward.”
- Meanwhile, on the Republican side, Donald Trump held his first outdoor rally since he survived an attempted assassination while on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania on July 13.
- Trump delivered remarks to supporters in North Carolina behind a fortified bulletproof podium.
DNC highlights Night 4:
- Beyoncé and Taylor Swift fans were left devastated after the superstars failed to show up to support or endorse Kamala Harris during the final night of the DNC.
- Rumors swirled that former President George W. Bush would surprise the DNC crowd on Thursday.
- Vice President Harris’ younger sister, Maya Harris, and niece, Meena Harris, spoke at the event.
- Meena called the presidential candidate her “auntie” and an “extraordinary woman.”
- Kamala Harris, who wore a dark blue suit, accepted the Democrats’ nomination, becoming the first biracial woman to receive a presidential nomination by a major party.
- Echoing the remarks of her fellow constituents and former presidents, Harris painted Donald Trump as a “dangerous and unserious man.”
- “In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man. But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White Hous are extremely serious,” Harris said.
- Trump lashed out at Harris’ acceptance speech, calling the VP “all talk, no action.”
- The Republican presidential candidate fired off a series of posts on Truth Social during Harris’ speech on Thursday evening.
After graduating with her JD degree in 1992, Maya entered the legal field, serving as a law clerk, lawyer, and adjunct law professor.
She then entered the public policy space, serving as a Senior Associate at PolicyLink, a national research and action institute that focuses on advancing social and economic equity.
Maya also served as the executive director of the Northern California American Civil Liberties Union.
In 2016, she served as Hillary Clinton’s campaign representative to the Democratic Party Platform Committee and helped draft the campaign’s 2016 platform.
She also joined her older sister in her 2020 campaign for president, serving as the campaign chairwoman until Harris suspended her campaign and joined the Biden ticket.
JOURNEY TO MOTHERHOOD
Still, despite all of her success in the legal field and politics, Maya values motherhood above all else.
She admits that she occasionally struggled to balance the demands of school and work with being a mom.
There were even moments when she was worried she wasn’t doing enough “because I was juggling work, juggling school, you know, wanting to be the math mom and drive on the field trip,” she told E! News in 2021.
In the same interview, Maya also called her daughter “a kind and caring and compassionate person with a sense of duty and responsibility.”
Like her mother, Meena is also taking on the challenges of motherhood in stride.
“I approach parenting in the same way,” Meena said, telling the outlet she wanted to teach her girls to use their voice and make their mark on the world.
“I think I’m borrowing and replicating and trying to carry on that legacy of how I was raised,” she added.
FAMILY FIRST
Both Maya and Meena took the stage during the fourth and final night of the Democratic National Convention, held in Chicago, Illinois.
After introducing herself to the crowd, Meena shared that she grew up in Oakland, California, “in a house full of extraordinary women.”
“My mom, my grandma, and my auntie, who showed me the meaning of service,” Meena continued.
“Helping her sister, a 17-year-old single mom, fighting for justice for the American people, and still cooking Sunday family dinner,” she added.
Meena’s mother, Maya, spoke just before the penultimate speech of the night, given by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.
A leader who sees the potential in all of us. A leader, who cares for all of us. A leader who fights for every one of us. Our Democratic nominee, my big sister, the next President of the United States, Kamala Harris!
Maya Harris
During her speech, she addressed her and Kamala’s upbringing and took some time to celebrate her older sister’s character.
“Kamala’s entire life has been fighting for each of us to have that freedom,” Maya said.
“Like so many Americans….she knows what it’s like to be the underdog, and yet still beat the odds,” she continued.
“And now, she has created so much electricity, so much optimism, so much joy throughout the nation, and it is why we need her leadership in this historic moment.”
Maya made several references to her sister’s unique spirit, noting that Kamala understands “the measure of our success isn’t just about winning an election,” but rather about “who we bring along and lift up in the process.”
TOUCHING MOMENT
Towards the end of her speech, Maya, fighting back tears, said she wished “Mommy could be here tonight,” referring to her and Kamala’s late mother.
“I can just see her, smiling, saying, how proud she is of Kamala,” she continued, choking up during the emotional moment.
However, like the work ethic both sisters displayed throughout their lives, Maya was quick to get right back to business.
“And then, without missing a beat, she’d say, that’s enough. You have work to do,” she added.
“She would tell all of us to roll up our sleeves and get to work to elect a leader….” she said, before listing qualities that Kamala has.
“A leader who sees the potential in all of us. A leader, who cares for all of us. A leader who fights for every one of us,” she continued, emphasizing each word.
“Our Democratic nominee, my big sister, the next President of the United States, Kamala Harris!”
