Harris said her mother was just 19 when she traveled alone to California “with the unwavering dream of being the scientist who would cure breast cancer.” (Photo: AP/X)
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris He began his speech at the party’s national convention on Thursday with a heartfelt tribute to his Indian-born mother, Dr. Shyamala Gopalan HarrisShe shared that her mother was only 19 years old when she traveled alone from India to California “with the unwavering dream of being the scientist who would cure breast cancer.”
US Vice President Harris, of Indian and African descent, accepted her party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention On Thursday in Chicago, the Democratic leader became only the second woman to receive this honor. The 59-year-old took the stage to thunderous applause and a standing ovation from the audience, with chants of “Yes, we can!” echoing throughout the venue before she began her speech.
“On behalf of the people, on behalf of every American, regardless of party, race, gender, or what language your grandmother spoke, on behalf of my mother and everyone who ever set out on their own improbable journey on behalf of Americans, like the people I grew up with, people who work hard, follow their dreams, and take care of each other, on behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on earth, I accept your nomination, the United States,” she said.
Harris said her father, Donald Jasper Harris, who is Jamaican, always taught her to be “fearless” and that her mother was “tough and brave.”
She said: “My mother taught Maya (her sister) and me to never complain about injustice, but to do something about it,” she said. “My mother Shyamala Harris had one of her own. I miss her every day, especially now. And I know tonight she’s looking down and smiling.”
“My mother was 19 when she crossed the world alone, traveling from India to California with the unwavering dream of being the scientist who would cure breast cancer. When she finished school, she was supposed to return home to get married in a traditional way. But as fate would have it, she met my father, Donald Harris, a student from Jamaica. They fell in love and got married, and that act of self-determination gave birth to my sister, Maya, and me.”
At 59, Kamala Harris has made history as the first Indian-American woman and the first black woman to be nominated on a major presidential ticket in the United States. She is also the first woman of colour to lead a presidential ticket for a major American political party. She is also the first Indian-American to be nominated as a presidential candidate by either the Republican or Democratic Party.
Harris shared a photo of her mother on X and wrote, “My mother, Dr. Shyamala Gopalan Harris, came to the United States from India alone at age 19. She was a strong woman who had two goals in life: to cure breast cancer and to raise my sister Maya and me. Her dedication, determination, and courage shaped the person I am today.”
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