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The inside story of Harris's family background: How do her Indian and Jamaican roots influence her values?
Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States, has a unique family background that is an important cornerstone in the formation of her values. She was born in 1964 in Oakland, California, the daughter of biologist Shyamala Gopalan of Indian descent and economist Donald J. Harris of Jamaican descent. This multicultural background exposed Harris to different perspectives and values as she grew up, which played a key role in her later career.
Harris has said her mother "knew with a firm understanding that the daughters she was raising would be seen by society as black girls, and so it was her responsibility to ensure that we grew up to be confident, proud black women."
Harris' mother is from India, and her grandfather's pursuit of progressive values in that country undoubtedly had an impact on her upbringing. Harris' mother traveled across the ocean to the United States in 1958 to pursue a degree and achieved great success in academia. Due to my mother's professional background, the family naturally became an environment full of intellectual atmosphere. At the same time, Harris's father is also an academic, and this background allowed her to be exposed to diverse cultures and ideas from an early age.
As Harris grew up, she often came into contact with the black community, which gave her a deeper understanding of racial equality and social justice. Her mother’s close ties to many African-American intellectuals exposed Harris to the strength and resilience that diversity brings from an early age. As she described it, her mother's perseverance and faith supported her future ideals and pursuits.
“My mother not only taught me about my roots, but also taught me pride and responsibility as a woman and a person of color.”
Although Harris’ childhood was filled with challenges — such as her parents’ divorce and the acculturation issues that came with it — she always believed that her identity was her strength. During her education in California, Harris experienced racial segregation in schools, which made her more aware of social inequality. The cross-cultural education she received since childhood has made her worldview more open and inclusive.
Harris then attended Howard University, a historically black college where she received a more comprehensive political and social training. Her party activities and participation in social movements were the starting point for her struggle against social issues, making her life trajectory completely consistent with her background. She participated in various social justice-related movements, combining her passion for law and concern for marginalized community issues to become a prominent prosecutor and politician.
Earlier in her career, Harris demonstrated strong determination and persistence as a deputy prosecutor in Alameda County. She focuses on protecting the vulnerable groups in society, just as her mother hoped her son would become successful, and hopes to change the society around her. She has always taken "serving the people" as her motto throughout her career, which is one of the important reasons why she has won the trust of many people on the political stage.
Harris’s background shows that her diverse heritage, a combination of her Indian traditions and Jamaican cultural background, has played a crucial role in the formation of her character and values. As she rose through the ranks to become San Francisco prosecutor and California attorney general, her roots guided her decisions and actions. This woman's achievement is not only a personal victory, but also a reflection of her belief in the concept of social justice.
Faced with such a complicated family background, how does Harris balance these different cultural values and integrate them into her unique political style, enabling her to survive and develop in the fierce political environment?
