Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Photograph of Kamala Harris with her parents.
Fact
Photograph does not feature Harris’ parents. She was born to an Indian mother and a Jamaican father.
With Joe Biden withdrawing from the race, Kamala Harris is now being seen as the Democratic Presidential nominee to take on Republican Donald Trump. Multiple senior leaders such as Bill and Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and Biden himself have endorsed the incumbent Vice President as the party’s nominee for the upcoming elections.
As social media attention turned to Kamala Harris, multiple users shared a photograph of the Democrat leader with two individuals claiming them to be her “non-black” parents. Newschecker, however, found the claim to be untrue.
Multiple X users shared the photograph with the caption, “You ‘ain’t’ black if your parents ‘ain’t’ black.” The same image is going viral on Facebook with the text overlay, “Hello, everyone. I’m Kamala Harris and these are my parents. But why do I pretend to be black Merican?”
Such posts can be seen here, here, here and here.
Fact Check/Verification
A keyword search for “Kamala Harris Parents” on Google yielded a Washington Post profile feature on the US Vice President. Detailing her early childhood, the Post stated, “Harris was born in Oakland, Calif., in 1964. Her parents, Shyamala Gopalan, a cancer researcher from India, and Donald Harris, an economist from Jamaica, immigrated to the United States and met while pursuing advanced degrees at the University of California at Berkeley.”
Elaborating on the life of “woman stepping into the 2024 limelight,” CNN stated, “Harris credits her mother for “shaping us into the women we would become” and for teaching her daughters to be proud of both their Indian and Black heritage.”
“Our classical Indian names harked back to our heritage, and we were raised with a strong awareness of and appreciation for Indian culture,” Harris reportedly wrote in her memoir. “My mother understood very well that she was raising two Black daughters. She knew that her adopted homeland would see Maya and me as Black girls, and she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident, proud Black women,” she added.
A recent People article featured a photograph of Harris with her mother, Shyamala Gopalan who passed away in 2009.
On comparing the photo of Kamala Harris’ mother with the woman seen in the viral image, we found both women to be different.
Harris had also shared a photograph of herself with her mother, and sister on her Instagram account. The same can be seen below.
The article further stated that the VP’s father, Donald J Harris is a professor emeritus of economics at Stanford University. We looked up his name on the official website of the University, and found his photograph featured in a profile.
A comparison between the man seen in the viral image, and the photograph of Harris’ father made it clear that the two men were different.
Hence, the viral image does not show Kamala Harris with her parents.
Then Who Is Seen In The Viral Photograph?
We found that the photograph was initially posted on Facebook by the US branch of a non-government organisation working on education, Pratham, in 2016. The post has since been deleted. However, an archive of the same can be seen here.
Notably, the same photo was shared by multiple social media users, such as this and this, in 2020 as well. AFP had back then reached out to the NGO whose spokesperson confirmed that the viral image does not show Harris’ parents, but supporters of Pratham.
Harris’ ascend to the US Vice President office in 2021 marked many firsts in the States history. She was not only the first black person to hold the post, but also the first female and first Asian-American Vice President of the US.
Multiple news outlets such as this, this and this noted the same following Harris’ selection as the US Vice President.
Also Read: No, Man Yelling ‘Slash Republican Throats’ In Viral Video Is Not Trump Rally Shooter
Conclusion
Hence, the viral post claiming to show Democrat and US Vice President Kamala Harris with “non-black” parents is false.
Result: False
Sources
Report By Washington Post, Dated July 21, 2024
Report By CNN, Dated July 22, 2024
Report By People, Dated July 22, 2024
Instagram Post By Kamala Harris, Dated July 10, 2019
Stanford University Website
Report By AFP, August 13, 2020
White House Website
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
