Introducing Shyamala Gopalan: The Inspirational Mother of Kamala Harris

By NI Bureau | 25/07/2024 | Categories: World

Kamala Harris, the US presidential candidate, is renowned for her formidable strength and determination. She frequently credits her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, as a profound source of inspiration behind her achievements. Gopalan, an Indian immigrant to the US, was a distinguished science researcher focused on finding a cure for breast cancer. Her dedication to science, activism, and advocacy profoundly influenced Harris’s own path.

About Shyamala Gopalan

Shyamala Gopalan originated from Chennai and left India at the age of 19 to pursue higher education at UC Berkeley. After earning her PhD, she embarked on a career as a breast cancer researcher. Gopalan was a staunch advocate for civil rights and equality, participating in numerous protests. It was during this period that she met Donald J. Harris, a Jamaican involved in the civil rights movement, and they later married.

My mother, Shyamala Gopalan, came from India to the U.S. to become a scientist. She had two goals in life: to cure breast cancer and to raise my sister, Maya, and me. I am forever grateful to her, and all mothers who love us, raise us, and inspire us. Happy Mother’s Day! pic.twitter.com/T7yCYA98oL

— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) May 9, 2021

In her memoir, The Truths We Hold: An American Journey, Kamala Harris reflects, “There is no title or honour on earth I’ll treasure more than to say I am Shyamala Gopalan Harris’s daughter. That is the truth I hold dearest of all.”

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Kamla Harris explained in her 2019 autobiography, “My mother was raised in household where political activism and civic leadership came naturally by birth. From both of my grandparents, my mother developed a keen political consciousness. She was aware of history, struggle, and inequities. She was born with a sense of justice imprinted on her soul.”

My mother taught me that no matter how you earn a living, whether you’re a caregiver or truck driver, grocery store clerk or small business owner, every job has inherent value and worth. pic.twitter.com/qjUkMvtquA

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 9, 2021

Kamala Harris adds, “My mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, was a force of nature and the greatest source of inspiration in my life. She taught my sister Maya and me the importance of hard work and the belief in our power to right what is wrong.”

Gopalan, a respected scholar, eventually divorced her husband in the 1970s and moved to Canada with her daughters. She passed away at the age of 70 due to cancer.