US Vice President Kamala Harris' parents were among the top trending topics on Google after she accepted the party's nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Thursday night, making her the second woman to do so after former First Lady Hillary Clinton.
Harris fondly remembered her pioneer mother, Shyamala Gopalan, and the values she instilled in her, saying she misses her every day, especially now that she's on the cusp of breaking the highest glass ceiling in America.
Shortly after, people across the country Googled Harris' parents, with more than 200,000 searches about her parents, according to Google Trends, and a 1,000 percent spike in searches on the topic.
Screenshots of trend.google
PTI reported that Harris had “traveled an unlikely path,” commenting on her “unexpected” rise to the top of the Democratic field after President Joe Biden decided to drop out of the race in July. “The path that has brought me to this point these past few weeks has certainly been unexpected, America, but I have traveled an unlikely path,” Harris, 59, said.
She spoke about being raised by her mother, whom she described as a “5-foot-tall, intelligent, brown woman with an accent.” “My mother, Shyamala Harris, had a woman like that. I miss her every day, especially now. And tonight, I see her looking down and smiling,” she said.
Harris said her mother traveled the world alone at age 19, from India to California, with an unwavering dream of becoming a scientist who would cure breast cancer.
“My mother was tough, she was a pioneer. … She taught us not to complain about injustice, but to do something about it. Take action. That was our mother,” Harris said. “She also taught us to never do anything half-heartedly. That's a direct quote. That's a direct quote.” The vice president added that his mother had planned to return to the U.S. and have an arranged marriage, but met and fell in love with his father, Donald Harris, a student studying abroad from Jamaica.
Meet Kamala Harris' Parents
Her mother, Gopalan, was a prominent breast cancer researcher who moved to the United States from India at age 19, according to the Associated Press. She earned her doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley in 1964. She and Jamaican-born Donald Harris met at Berkeley as graduate students involved in the civil rights movement. The two married in 1963 and had two daughters before divorcing when Kamala Harris was seven. Gopalan died of cancer in 2009 at age 70.
Donald Harris, 85, has become a prominent economist. He was Professor of Economics at Stanford University from 1972 to 1998, and is now Professor Emeritus. He has also served as economic adviser to the Jamaican government and several prime ministers.
Kamala Harris' husband and children
Democratic presidential candidate and US Vice President Kamala Harris embraces her husband, the second gentleman of the United States, Doug Emhoff, during the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, August 22, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Wurm
Kamala Harris also began her speech by congratulating her husband, Doug Emhoff, on their 10th wedding anniversary. Thursday marked the couple's 10th wedding anniversary. “I want to start by thanking my incredible husband, Doug, for being the best partner for me and the best father to Cole and Ella. And Dougie, happy anniversary. I love you so much,” Harris said.
Emhoff could make history as America's first gentleman's wife. The 59-year-old Emhoff is already the nation's first and second gentleman, and the first Jewish wife of a U.S. president or vice president. She has served as Biden's administration's leader in combating anti-Semitism. To support his wife after she takes office, Emhoff left a lucrative career as an entertainment and intellectual property lawyer in California, avoiding any conflict of interest.
The couple married in 2014. It was Emhoff's first marriage and Harris' second. Emhoff has two adult children, Ella and Cole, from a previous marriage, who call Harris “Mamala.”
Maya Harris, 57, is Kamala's younger sister and only sibling. In a short video shown during the convention, she spoke about her sister's “fighting spirit” and her instinct to protect those close to her. Maya is a lawyer, advocate, speaker, and author, and served as chair of her sister's 2020 presidential campaign.
– With AP/PTI input
