How Old Is Kamala Harris' Sister? Everything We Know About 2024 DNC Standout Maya Harris

Born in 1967, Maya Harris is three years younger than her sister, Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. At the time of this report, Maya is 57 years old. The sisters share a lifelong bond, and Maya even officiated Kamala and Doug Emhoff's wedding. She's also taken an active role in Kamala's past campaigns going back to her 2003 campaign to become San Francisco District Attorney. Maya also worked as a senior advisor during Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential run and chaired Kamala's campaign for the 2020 presidential primary. She continues to play a supportive role for Kamala as a speaker at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

Like Kamala, Maya became a lawyer. Both siblings were influenced in their career choices by their parents, Shyamala Gopalan Harris and Donald Harris. While Maya initially thought she'd follow in her mom's footsteps and pursue science, her parents' advocacy for social justice had a stronger impact. Accordingly, Maya spent time working for the ACLU of Northern California on numerous human rights issues.

Maya has encouraged Kamala to include personal anecdotes in political speeches, and she took her own advice at the DNC, mentioning their mother. "She raised us to believe that we could be and do anything, and we believed her," Maya said in her speech. Maya and Kamala's parents divorced when they were kids, and Shyamala and her daughters had a very close relationship. "I can just see her smiling saying how proud she is of Kamala. And then, without missing a beat, she'd say, 'That's enough. You got work to do.'"

When Maya Harris was 17 and in high school, she became pregnant. It was a difficult time and something that neither she nor Kamala Harris have discussed publicly over the decades. At the time Kamala was away at college, and their mom, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, was often traveling between northern California and Montreal, Canada for work.

Maya finished high school before her daughter, Meena Harris, was born. Shyamala helped her daughter with childcare as much as possible after Meena arrived and Maya pursued an undergrad degree at the University of California, Berkeley. Looking back on her experiences as a single parent, Maya recalled how she felt pulled in many directions simultaneously. "I was juggling work, juggling school, you know, wanting to be the math mom and drive on the field trip," she informed E!

To add to her difficulties, Maya was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease lupus while she was in college. Maya didn't share this information openly until 2020 when she was motivated to speak out on behalf of social justice. Writing in The Atlantic, Maya criticized Donald Trump for making unsubstantiated suggestions that hydroxychloroquine, a proven treatment for lupus, could be used to treat COVID-19, impacting its availability for lupus patients. "Lupus extracts a physical and emotional toll," Maya explained. "There is always the looming possibility that a flare-up could leave you bedridden and racked with pain, and often the only relief comes from this essential medication."

Maya Harris is known for her emotional tributes to her mom, and she relied on Shyamala Gopalan Harris' parenting strategies when raising her daughter Meena Harris. Shyamala would take her kids with her to work whenever possible, and Maya did the same, taking a preschool-aged Meena with her when she was a student at Stanford Law School. Maya also introduced Meena to the family's passion for advocacy. "I invited her to participate in conversations, to think about issues, to have her own ideas," Maya explained to E! 

Having Meena accompany her to law school also led to Maya's 1998 marriage to Tony West. Like his wife, West has been active with Kamala's 2024 presidential campaign. He's also a lawyer who serves as Uber's chief legal officer. While Meena was on Stanford's campus, she became the catalyst for her mom and West's friendship with when she recruited him to play with her. West also took on a caretaking role when Meena was at school with her mom. West and Maya both graduated from the school in 1992. Eventually romance blossomed and they married. 

Meena followed in Maya and West's footsteps and became a lawyer before starting her own company, attending Stanford University and Harvard Law School. She's also a mom to two daughters of her own. Maya is thrilled with what she described on Instagram as "the eternal joy of grandmotherhood," and she's posted numerous pictures of herself snuggling together with her granddaughters.