At a Planned Parenthood forum in 2019, Kamala Harris shared an extraordinary story from her family history that left the audience both surprised and inspired. The then-Senator from California revealed a vivid anecdote about her grandmother’s bold activism in rural India—an effort centered around women’s reproductive rights.
Harris recalled how her grandmother, a fierce advocate for women’s health care, would travel from village to village, equipped with a bullhorn, speaking to women about the importance of access to reproductive services. “My grandmother would go into villages in India because she was Indian and lived in India,” Harris recounted with a smile, adding a light-hearted note that the story was somewhat infamous in her family. Her grandfather, who worked in public service, often joked that his wife’s outspoken advocacy could spell the end of his career.
A famous family story, according to VP Harris, from her mother side of the family, if you believe it, was that her grandmother would go from village to village in India with a bullhorn preaching women about access to reproductive healthcare.
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— Avatans Kumar
(@avatans) September 4, 2024
Harris noted that her grandmother’s primary focus was to raise awareness about reproductive health, an area often overlooked, particularly in rural parts of India. Despite cultural and political challenges, her grandmother made it her mission to break down barriers for women who had little to no access to essential health services.
The story not only highlights Harris’s connection to a long line of strong women but also sheds light on her own approach to reproductive health policy. Known for her progressive stance on women’s rights, Harris pointed to this legacy as part of what drives her work in advocating for better health care access for women in America.
While the image of a woman with a bullhorn traveling across villages to talk about abortion and reproductive health struck a chord with many, Harris’s anecdote also subtly illustrated the generational struggle for women’s rights. It served as a reminder of how far the fight for reproductive justice has come—and how far it still needs to go.
The moment during the Planned Parenthood event was met with both laughter and applause, as the audience resonated with Harris’s portrayal of her grandmother as a trailblazing woman ahead of her time.
For Harris, the story of her grandmother’s activism wasn’t just a quirky family tale—it was a defining narrative of strength, resilience, and a refusal to back down, values she herself has carried into her political career.
