Kamala Harris' Mother's 'Brahmin Heritage' Claim Pops Up Amid Trump's Identity Attacks

A 2003 quote by Kamala Harris' mother, Shyamala Gopalan, about her Brahmin caste is circulating on social media. The quote is from a profile of Kamala Harris done by the San Francisco Weekly.

In the interview, Gopalan discusses their family's Brahmin heritage, which is considered the top caste in the Hindu hierarchy.

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Shyamala Gopalan's statement reads: "In Indian society, we go by birth. We are Brahmins, that is the top caste. Please do not confuse this with class, which is only about money. For Brahmins, the bloodline is the most important. My family, named Gopalan, goes back more than 1,000 years."

This quote has resurfaced following comments made by Donald Trump at a recent NABJ meeting.

The quote has sparked discussions online, with some claiming that Shyamala Gopalan 'proudly' asserted her Brahmin identity.

However, a BBC report contradicted it and suggested she was likely explaining to the journalist that by marrying a Jamaican-American, she had broken the "Gopalan bloodline that goes back more than 1000 years."

Endogamy has been a common practice among many Indian castes. David Reich, a geneticist at Harvard University, examined India's caste system's genetic makeup.

His findings were published in his 2018 book 'Who We Are And How We Got There'. The study identified around 40,000 endogamous caste groups in India.

Shyamala Gopalan hailed from a 'high-achieving Brahmin family' in Tamil Nadu. According to a New York Times profile on her and her husband Donald Harris, she was compelled to study Home Science at Lady Irwin College in New Delhi before moving to the US for higher education.

She enrolled at the University of California in Berkeley in 1958 for a master's program in nutrition and endocrinology. With her family's support, she completed her PhD from UC Berkeley in 1964.

On the other hand, Donald Harris arrived in the US in 1961 to pursue a PhD in Economics.
Meeting During Civil Rights Movement

Shyamala and Donald met during Black study circles amidst the Civil Rights movement's peak in the US. Their union marked an unusual cultural blend and highlighted their commitment to social justice causes.

The resurfacing of Shyamala Gopalan's quote has reignited conversations about caste dynamics and identity politics within Indian communities abroad.