New Delhi:
On the fourth night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), US Vice President Kamala Harris accepted her party’s nomination for the President of the United States. Amid the cheers and applause, Harris not only laid out her vision for America but also touched upon a deeply personal narrative – one that connects her to her South Asian roots through her mother, Shyamala Gopalan.
Kamala Harris’ candidature came after President Joe Biden announced his decision to drop out of the presidential race and endorsed the VP as the party’s nominee last month.
On Thursday, the room erupted into applause as she began her speech, surrounded by supporters holding ‘Kamala’ placards in blue. In her address to the nation at the DNC, Harris began by acknowledging the journey that brought her to this historic moment. “The journey has been unexpected, but I am no stranger to unlikely journeys,” she began.
Kamala Harris’s mother, Shyamala Gopalan, who died in 2009, played an instrumental role in shaping the Vice President’s identity and values. Harris spoke fondly of her mother, recalling the courage and determination that led a 19-year-old Shyamala to leave India for the US. “My mother was 19 when she crossed the world alone, travelling from India to California with an unshakable dream to be the scientist who would cure breast cancer,” Harris shared, her voice filled with pride.
Shyamala Gopalan’s journey was supposed to be temporary – she was expected to return to India after completing her studies, where an arranged marriage awaited her. However, destiny had plans, revealed the Democratic nominee.
While studying at the University of California, Berkeley, Shyamala Gopalan met Donald Harris, a Jamaican student. “They fell in love and got married, and that act of self-determination made my sister Maya and me,” Harris told the audience.
Harris also reminisced about her childhood, filled with memories of frequent moves due to her parents’ careers. “Growing up, we moved a lot. I will always remember that big Mayflower truck, packed with all our belongings, ready to go to Illinois, to Wisconsin, and wherever our parents’ jobs took us,” she said.
“My early memories of our parents together are very joyful ones. A home filled with laughter and music, coal train, and miles,” Harris recalled. Her father’s influence, particularly in her formative years, was also a significant theme in her speech. “In my earliest years, he taught me to be fearless,” she said, reflecting on the words of encouragement he often gave her: “Run, Kamala, run. Don’t be afraid, don’t let anything stop you.”
Shayamala Goapalan’s father, a civil servant, was a supporter of India’s struggle for independence from British rule – a spirit of activism that Shyamala carried with her to the United States. In Berkeley, she became involved in the Civil Rights Movement.
Shyamala earned her doctorate by the age of 25 and later became a renowned breast cancer researcher.
Today, when Kamala Harris stood before the nation, she wasn’t just a candidate for the highest office in the land but a proud daughter of immigrants as well. “On behalf of my mother and everyone who has ever set out on their own unlikely journey… I accept your nomination for president of the United States of America,” Harris declared as the room erupted into applause.