​US Elections 2024: 7 times Kamala Harris reminded us of her Indian roots​

Kamala Harris was the first woman and first South Asian Vice President of the United States. She has often spoken about her Indian heritage and how it has shaped her life and worldview. Here are seven times she reminded the world of her Indian roots

Kamala Harris frequently includes her Indian heritage in speeches and interviews. For instance, during the election campaign for Vice Presidency, she publicly stated how her Indian immigrant mother always taught her to fight for justice. She has also indicated the pride of her family in their Indian origins in national conversations on race and diversity.

In 2021, Kamala Harris became the first Vice President to host a Diwali celebration at the White House. During the event, she spoke about the significance of the festival, not only to the Indian-American community but also to all who celebrate it. Her participation in Diwali festivities highlighted her connection to her Indian roots and her role as a bridge between cultures.

Kamala Harris cooked masala dosa beside actor Mindy Kaling , who also belongs to the Indian Origin, in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election. Her victory alongside Biden was also celebrated in her ancestral village of Thulasendrapuram in Tiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu.

In 2020, Harris reportedly said about her mother's love for good idli during an India's Independence Day campaign event held virtually. "Because she wanted us to understand where she had come from and where we had ancestry. And of course, she always wanted to instill in us, a love of good idli."

Kamala often talks about her late mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who was an Indian-American cancer researcher and had migrated to the U.S. during the 1960s. Harris talks about her journey in many speeches where she talks about how her mother's bravery, perseverance, and involvement in social justice helped develop the same values in her daughter Kamala. In 'The Truths We Hold' memoir, Harris wrote about how her mother had made many sacrifices for her family, teaching them valuable lessons from her experiences.

She frequently spoke about her maternal grandfather, P.V. Gopalan, during her Vice President campaign. He was a civil servant in India. She shared that he taught her how to serve and instilled in her the depth of public service that helped influence her political journey. Harris said that his work with the Indian government inspired her on how to give back to the community.

Throughout her career, Harris has been candid about her identity as a Black woman and an Indian-American. during her speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2020, she mentioned that such "combination of strength" of her identity, referring to how her Indian and Jamaican roots merged to become one person. She would normally say that growing up in a childhood of both races taught her to understand the importance of diversity and inclusivity.