Recently, Kamala Devi Harris made history in the U.S. She is now the first woman vice president in history of the country. Many Indians rejoiced at her being of Indian decent. But, very few know about her father Dr. Donald Harris. He is a Jamaican-born retired professor of economics at Stanford University.
The Father less Publicly known
The Vice President during her campaign mostly skipped questions about her father. The reason being they got separated after the divorce between her parents. As a result Kamala Harris was raised by her single mother, who influenced her thought process.
Donald Harris remained mostly silent even when her daughter rose to national limelight. The only time he broke his silence he prided himself over the achievement of his daughter. He also lamented the pain of estrangement he had to sustain.
Achievements and Works of Donald Harris
Even after his low public reach he is a man of caliber due to his own hard work. He was the first Black scholar to receive tenure in Stanford’s economics department He remained a prominent critic of mainstream economic theory from the left.
Dr. Harris arrived in the US to pursue graduation at University of California. He went on to join Stanford University as faculty in 1972. There he taught course on “Theory of Capitalist Development” for many years at the university. After he retirement he continued to work for developing public policies to promote social equity.
Dr. Donald Harris served as economic consultant to the Government of Jamaica in early 2000s. He later worked as economic adviser to successive prime ministers. In his work Dr. Harris questioned the orthodox assumptions related to growth.
Life apart from Career
Later in an article Dr. Donald Harris lamented the fact that his interaction with his children came to abrupt halt. He feels anguished by the State of California’s false assumption that fathers cannot handle parenting. He stated that he never gave up on his love for his children. Dr. Harris’s 1978 book, “Capital Accumulation and Income Distribution,” is dedicated to his daughters Kamala and Maya.
Stay With Stanford Arts Review for the Latest Updates
