5. Inspired by her mother to run for president
Her mother passed more than a decade ago, but she remains a source of inspiration for Kamala. She shared that her mom’s mental set was the one that inspired her to run for president, remembering her mom’s straight face when she was coming home complaining about something and her, “Well, what are you going to do about it?”
6. Kamala Harris’s Confidence
Because she grew up in a multicultural family with an Indian mom and a Jamaican dad, her identity led to comparisons with Barack Obama, who was also biracial with his mom from Kansas and his dad from Kenya.
Unlike Obama, Harris always had confidence in who she was when it came to her roots. She answered this question about identity struggles some time ago, saying that she always felt comfortable with who she is and simply considers herself an American.
When she first ran for public office, she did not like and didn’t try to define herself in ways that fit into people’s categories. She said her point was “I am who I am. I’m good with it. You might need to figure it out, but I’m fine with it.”
She shares in her autobiography that she was raised to be proud of her cultural heritage, and even if her mom was Indian, Shyamala was aware that she was raising Black daughters. Kamala says that she and her sisters were raised to be confident and proud Black women.
Here is where you can find her autobiography book, The Truths We Hold: An American Journey, also available in Kindle edition.
