GET TO KNOW KAMALA HARRIS’ FAMILY. Harris grew up in a household with a Jamaican father and Indian mother. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, emigrated from India in 1960 to attend the University of California, Berkeley and pursue a doctorate in endocrinology. Her father, Donald Harris, emigrated from Jamaica in 1961 to also attend Berkeley. Both of her parents were actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement.