Kamala Harris formally accepted the Democratic nomination for president on Thursday. In doing so, the current vice president has become the first Black woman to claim a major national party’s nomination. In her acceptance speech Harris shared insight into her upbringing and the life experiences that brought her to the stage. She thanked and acknowledged several women in her life who have been in her corner, some since childhood. Her mother, sister and other close family and friends were woven into the tapestry of the night, as Harris recognized their part in her success.
Here are some of the women who have supported, uplifted and stood beside Kamala Harris during her life and political career.
Shymala Gopalan
Harris’ mother Shymala Gopalan was a major part of her presidential nomination acceptance speech. Her mother passed away in 2009, after a battle with colon cancer. Harris pointed out how her mother’s absence during the historic moment was hard to bear.
“I miss her every day,” Harris said early on in her speech. “Especially now, and I know she’s looking down tonight and smiling.”
In her speech, Harris also shared her mother’s story explaining that Gopalan arrived in the United States at 19 with a dream to become a scientist and cure breast cancer. After her parents divorced, Harris witnessed her mother’s strength as she raised her and her sister, Maya. Harris described her mother as brilliant and tough saying she was a woman who rarely lost her cool. She also shared that her parents were active in the civil rights movement and instilled in both their children the importance of action against injustice.
Maya Harris
Kamala Harris’ younger sister Maya is one of her closest and dearest friends. Like Harris, Maya is also a lawyer and deeply involved in politics. She served as the elder sister’s campaign chair for her 2020 presidential campaign. She also worked on the policy strategies for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Harris mentioned Maya twice in her nomination acceptance speech, both times in reference to their mother and the things she instilled in them. In her own Democratic National Convention speech, Maya shared her special memories of Gopalan and how she taught her daughters the importance of hard work.
While much of the DNC had a serious tone, there are many moments of levity between the two sisters that can be found online. One such moment started making the rounds on social sites following the announcement that President Joe Biden would be stepping down and backing Harris in her bid for president. In the clip, you see the two sisters discussing Harris being referred to as general. Harris tells her sister she should refer to her as “big sister, general” before the two break out in laughter.
As the DNC concluded, online users reacted to Maya’s youthful appearance at the age of 59. One commenter writing, “Yo Maya, you single?” Another user responded that Maya Harris is in fact married and pointed out that it looks like her husband can fight. To add even more humor to the situation, Maya’s husband added a comment to the thread.
“Appreciate you clarifying the situation,” he wrote. “And yes, he fight.”
Meena Harris
Meena Harris is Kamala Harris’ niece and Maya’s daughter. She is an ardent supporter of her aunt. She also followed in the footsteps of both her mother and Harris in becoming an attorney. However, much of her work has been in the arts. She won a Tony Award for producing the musical, “A Strange Loop.” She also founded a fashion company and wrote a children’s book.
Meena attended the DNC and, along with other family, spoke on behalf of her Aunt Kamala. She explained that her mother, Maya, had her when she was just 17 years old and that Harris helped support her mother as she raised Meena.
“She guided me,” Meena said. “Now, she’s guiding my own children and I know she’ll guide our country forward.”
Wanda Kagan
During her DNC acceptance speech, Harris shared the story of her childhood friend, Wanda Kagan.
“When I was in high school, I started to notice something about my best friend Wanda,” Harris said. “She was sad at school. And there were times she didn’t want to go home.”
Harris says she learned Kagan’s step-father was sexually abusing her. She told Kagan to move in with her family for her final year of high school. Harris says the experience is what led her to her career in law.
“That is one of the reasons I became a prosecutor,” Harris explained. “To protect people like Wanda. Because I believe everyone has a right: To safety, to dignity, and to justice.”