Vice President Kamala Harris has often mentioned her upbringing and family as she campaigns for the presidency. She spoke about her father during the DNC, describing him as a source of inspiration who taught her to be fearless. Harris was born to immigrant parents in Oakland, California, and spent a significant amount of her childhood in Canada with her mother and sister after her parents’ divorce. Despite her father’s absence, she credits her mother with shaping her into the woman she is today.
Harris’ father, Donald J. Harris, is a retired Stanford University economics professor known for his Marxist background. Born in Jamaica, he moved to the U.S. for his education and eventually met Harris’ mother at the University of California, Berkeley. Donald Harris held teaching positions at various universities before settling down at Stanford, where he became the first Black scholar to receive tenure in the economics department. He retired in 1998 to focus on public policy work in Jamaica.
Despite his academic achievements, Donald Harris has largely remained out of the spotlight and has refrained from commenting on his daughter’s political career. He has expressed disapproval of her comments regarding marijuana use and Jamaican identity in the past. While Kamala Harris has mentioned her father in her memoir and at the DNC, she has admitted that they are not particularly close. Her father, however, has mentioned his efforts to maintain a relationship with his daughters despite the challenges faced post-divorce.
Donald Harris’ limited involvement in his daughter’s political career contrasts with her mother’s active role in raising her and her sister. Harris acknowledges that her mother was the primary influence in her upbringing, even though her father remained a part of their lives. Despite their differences, the family maintains a certain level of unity, with Donald Harris expressing a desire to dissociate himself from any negative stereotypes associated with their Jamaican heritage.
As Kamala Harris continues to navigate the political arena, her father’s background as a Marxist economist remains a point of interest. His decision to stay out of the media spotlight as his daughter makes history as the first female Vice President and first woman of color to hold the position speaks to the complexities of their relationship. While Donald Harris has made occasional comments on certain issues, he prefers to maintain a distance from the political hullabaloo. Harris’ family dynamics highlight the personal and often challenging aspects of navigating a political career while balancing relationships and personal history.
