kamla Harris's father Donald Harris was noticeably absent during one of the most significant moments of her political career as Kamala delivered a heartfelt speech Thursday night accepting the Democratic vice presidential nomination her father the only living parent was not among the family members seated in the audience Donald Harris an 86-year-old economist known for his leftist views was missing from the row of relatives that included kamla's husband Doug mhof his two children Cole and Ella and her younger sister Maya Harris with her family while Kamala spoke tenderly of her mother's influence during her speech she only briefly mentioned Donald almost omitting him from The Narrative of her life story that she recounted from the time she was in elementary school she stated that after that period it was mostly my mother who raised us the estrangement between Kamala and her father is so significant that she has never publicly acknowledged her stepmother Carol kiru a former World Bank executive who is married to Donald Harris both Donald and Carol were born in Jamaica and now reside in Washington DC a short distance from the White House according to public records whether Donald Harris was invited to the Democratic Convention or chose not to attend remains unclear and he did not respond to a request for comment from playful parade during her speech kamla did recall one fond memory of her father she mentioned that while at the park her mother would urge her to stay close but her father would smile and encourage her to run run Kamala run Don't Be Afraid don't let anything stop you despite these nostalgic words the bond between father and daughter appears strained kamala's parents separated when she was just 8 years old and she and her sister were primarily raised by their mother shamala gopalan Harris a breast cancer researcher from India Kamala shared with the audience that when her mother worked long hours they lived in a small apartment in the San Francisco Bay Area relying on a trusted Circle to help raise them none of whom were family by Blood but all were family by love despite their personal distance Donald Harris and his daughter reportedly share similar economic views jilio tesera an academic who befriended Donald Harris during his time as a Fullbright scholar in Brazil mentioned in a recent interview that the Press often exaggerates the political divide between father and daughter he described Donald as more of a Social Democrat and the two have continued to stay in touch over the years although there is some debate about how leftist Donald Harris's economic theories are he was recently described as a combative Marxist Economist by The Economist during his time in Brazil tesera and Harris bonded over long lunches and barbecues discussing topics like wealth distribution and inflation tesera believes that many of Donald's ideas especially on the distribution of wealth and uplifting people of African descent are reflected in kamala's public speeches and policies however kamla's presence in her father's life seems minimal When Donald Harris was awarded Jamaica's order of Merit one of the country's highest honors in October 2021 for his contributions to the government's economic strategies kamalo was notably absent instead Donald attended the ceremony with his wife Carol kiru he expressed his gratitude for the award which had been given to influential figures like Bob Marley Peter Tosh and Fidel Castro Donald Harris was born in Brownstown Jamaica in 1938 he pursued his studies at the University of the West Indies and the University of London before earning his PhD at the University of California at Berkeley in 1966 it was at Berkeley that he met kamala's mother shamala gopalan in 1962 during a meeting of the afroamerican association the couple married in 1963 but divorced in 1971 even after the divorce Donald maintained a relationship with his daughters taking them to visit family in Jamaica and dedicating his 197 a book capital accumulation and income distribution to them a recent photograph of Donald Kamala and her niece Mina was included in a 2019 article in Jamaica Global indicating some level of ongoing connection however when kamla Harris entered the National political stage as the Democratic vice presidential candidate in 2020 her father remained notably absent in 2019 he told playful parade that he decided to stay out of the political halalu by avoiding in media interviews this decision came after kamla admitted in a radio interview that she had smoked marijuana in college jokingly attributing it to her Jamaican Heritage in a rare public statement Donald Harris expressed his dismay at his daughter's comment saying my dear departed grandmothers as well as my deceased parents must be turning in their graves right now to see their family's name reputation and proud Jamaican identity being connected in any way jokingly or not with a fraudulent stereotype of a pot smoking Joy Seeker in the pursuit of identity politics kamla Harris's team did not respond to a request for comment from playful parade leaving many to wonder about the true nature of her relationship with her father as she continues to navigate the highest levels of American [Music] politics e