Fact-Check: Is Kamala Harris black or Indian?

Claim

Kamala Harris is not black but Indian.

Findings

Former President Donald Trump recently claimed that Kamala Harris ‘suddenly’ identified as Black, suggesting that she had previously only promoted her Indian heritage. However, this assertion is false.

Harris has consistently identified as both Black and Indian, acknowledging her mixed heritage throughout her life and career. She is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, and she has publicly embraced her Black identity for decades, including attending Howard University, a historically Black college, and participating in organizations that support the Black community. In her memoir, she articulated the importance of both her South Asian and Black identities, emphasizing that her mother raised her and her sister with an understanding of their Black identity.

Harris’s official biographies and public statements reflect her dual heritage, and she has been recognized as the first African American woman and South Asian American to hold significant political offices.

Conclusion

Kamala Harris has a mixed ethnic background. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was from India, and her father, Donald Harris, is of Jamaican descent. Kamala Harris identifies as both Black and South Asian and has embraced both her Black and Indian heritage in her public statements.

The claim that Kamala Harris is ‘not black but Indian’ is inaccurate. She is of both Black and Indian descent. Harris identifies as both Black and Indian, reflecting her diverse heritage. Trump’s comments misrepresent her longstanding acknowledgment of her racial identity and have been widely criticized as divisive and factually incorrect.