Kamala's modern family defies critics, reshapes norms
For the conservative part of the United States, Kamala Harris's blended family is a curiosity and a source of ridicule. For the rest, it's a norm and something unquestionable. The U.S. Vice President describes her husband's children as an "endless source of love and pure joy," she maintains a friendly relationship with his ex-wife.
12:57 PM EST, November 5, 2024
Just a few weeks ago, Kamala Harris's prospects for the White House seemed slim. Today, she might become the first female president in U.S. history, although she will not be the ideal candidate for everyone (as no candidate ever is).
“In reality, in an age of polarization, there isn't one America but two. These represent different value systems, sensibilities, and senses of humor,” says Agnieszka Graff, a cultural studies expert, columnist, and professor at the American Studies Center of the University of Warsaw.
Progressive prosecutor
Harris comes from a family of immigrants. Her father, Donald Harris, was born in Jamaica, and her mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, came to the United States from India. The Harris family was involved in civil rights advocacy and instilled in their daughters the importance of activism. Their mother urged Kamala and her sister Maya, “Don't just sit idle and complain about the situation. Try to do something!” The future Vice President of the U.S. took her mother's words to heart.
Kamala Harris's legal and political career is impressive, but since she replaced Joe Biden in the presidential race, Americans have also shown a keen interest in her personal life.
"Kamala Harris is the most left-wing presidential candidate in modern U.S. history," wrote Fox News commentator Marc A. Thiessen in "The Washington Post." Harris holds liberal views. She once called herself a "progressive prosecutor," and she lives in a modern family arrangement, participating in raising her husband's children while not having her own.
Momala, not stepmom
Kamala Harris married Douglas Emhoff, on August 22, 2014. They met the previous year on a blind date and reportedly fell in love at first sight.
This is Harris's first marriage. Emhoff was previously married to Kerstin Emhoff, née Mackin, until 2008. "During my first marriage, Kerstin and I went through tough times because of my actions," Emhoff admitted in a statement to CNN. The British newspaper "Daily Mail" first reported Kamala Harris's husband's infidelity during his first marriage, when he cheated on his then-wife with his daughter's teacher. The woman became pregnant, although she eventually did not continue the pregnancy.
Kamala Harris was said to have known all about this before she decided to marry Emhoff.
After such experiences, it might be hard to believe that everyone lives in friendly, cordial relations today. Kamala has raised Douglas and Kerstin's children for years: Ella, now 25, and Cole, now 30. However, their public statements affirm that this is indeed the case.
"Kamala came into my life when I was 14," said Ella Emhoff during the Democratic Convention. "She has always taken me seriously and has always been ready to listen to me."
Ella and Cole call Kamala "Momala." "A few years later when Doug and I got married, Cole, Ella, and I agreed that we didn’t like the term "stepmom." Instead, they came up with the name 'Momala,'" Kamala Harris wrote in a 2019 essay "Elle."
"Child-free cat ladies"
Unusually, Douglas's ex-wife also speaks warmly about Kamala. "I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it," wrote Kerstin Emhoff in a statement sent to CNN. "For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I," she added. Kerstin described Harris as "loving, nurturing, fiercely protective, and always present."
This statement was in response to conservative attacks against Kamala Harris, criticizing her for being childless. J.D. Vance, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, called Harris and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a United States House of Representatives member, "a bunch of child-free cat ladies who are unhappy in their own lives."
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a politician, similarly commented on Harris, stating during a Trump voter event in Michigan that her children keep her "humble." At the same time, Harris "has no one to make her humble."
Harris called these views "outdated." "We have our family by blood, and then we have our family by love, and I have both, and I consider it to be a real blessing. And I have two beautiful children, Cole and Ella, who call me Momala. We have a very modern family. My husband's ex-wife is a friend of mine," Kamala Harris said in the "Call Her Daddy" podcast.
