Meenakshi Ashley Harris (born October 20, 1984) is an American lawyer, author, and theater producer. In theatre production, Harris won a Tony Award for producing A Strange Loop and was also nominated for producing Suffs.[3] Harris's first children's picture book, Kamala and Maya's Big Idea (2020), was released by HarperCollins' imprint Balzer + Bray; it was based on the story of her mother, Maya Harris, and aunt, Kamala Harris, the 49th vice president of the United States.[4]
Meena Harris | |
|---|---|
 Harris in 2021 | |
| Born | Meenakshi Ashley Harris October 20, 1984 Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Education | Stanford University (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Nikolas Ajagu (m. 2014) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Family of Kamala Harris |
In 2017, Harris founded the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign, which creates statement fashion to support charity.[5]
Early life and education
editHarris was born on October 20, 1984, to single parent Maya Lakshmi Harris, and the identity of her biological father remains unknown.[6] Her mother was 17 when she was born, and later became a lawyer and policy expert. Her aunt, Kamala Harris, is the 49th Vice President of the United States. Her grandmother, Shyamala Gopalan, was an Indian-American cancer researcher and civil rights activist, and her grandfather, Donald Harris, is a Jamaican-American emeritus professor of economics at Stanford University and a civil rights activist.[7]
Harris graduated from Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland. She earned her bachelor's degree from Stanford University in 2006, and her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 2012.[8]
Career
editPhenomenal
editIn 2017, she founded the "Phenomenal" fashion company, Harris being inspired by a 1978 Maya Angelou poem titled Phenomenal Woman.[9][10][11] It then branched out to include the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign, founded in 2017 as an organization that brings awareness to social causes.[5] The campaign covers a range of policy issues, including educational excellence and healthcare equity, criminal justice reform, gender parity in STEM, reproductive health, and political representation.[12] Ambassadors for the campaign include Serena Williams, Jessica Alba, Mark Ruffalo, Tracee Ellis Ross, Viola Davis, Yara Shahidi, Janelle Monae, Sarah Silverman, Debbie Allen, Rosario Dawson, Van Jones, Lizzo, Cecile Richards, and more. In September 2018, Harris also coordinated a full-page ad in The New York Times with Alicia Garza, founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network, to demonstrate national support for Christine Blasey Ford and survivors of sexual assault.[13] Harris also operates Phenomenal Media for written content and Phenomenal Productions for videos and visual content.[14] In December 2020, it was announced that she and Brad Jenkins would launch a production studio called Phenomenal Productions.[15]
Children's books
editIn 2020, Harris released her first children's picture book from HarperCollins' imprint Balzer + Bray titled Kamala and Maya's Big Idea, which is based on the real story of her mother, Maya Harris, and aunt Kamala Harris.[4] On January 19, 2021, she released her second children's book, Ambitious Girl,[16] and on March 14, 2023, her third children's book A Is for Ambitious was released, both printed by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.[17]
Political advising
editDuring Kamala Harris's successful 2016 campaign for the U.S. Senate, Harris served as a senior advisor on policy and communications. From 2016 to 2017, Harris served as a commissioner on the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women.[18]
Other
editPreviously, Harris also served as Head of Strategy & Leadership at Uber where her stepfather Tony West is chief legal officer,[19] and worked for international law firm Covington & Burling, software company Slack Technologies, and Facebook.
Personal life
editHarris married Nikolas Ajagu in 2014. He is the Global Head of Partnerships for Facebook’s Advertising Technology division.[20] The couple have two daughters.[21][22]
Bibliography
edit- Kamala and Maya's Big Idea. Balzer + Bray imprint of HarperCollins. 2020. ISBN 978-0062937407.
- Ambitious Girl. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 2021. ISBN 978-0316229692.
- A Is for Ambitious. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 2023. ISBN 978-0316354493.
References
edit- ^ "5 year anniversary! Nik surprised me, which included an elaborate plan to conspire with my boss so my calendar was clear for the day – and which I of course almost ruined because things are just a little chaotic right now. I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!". instagram.com.
- ^ "For our 7-year anniversary I took Nik – a lifelong Giants FANATIC – to a special game and…I think I deserve an award????????". instagram.com.
- ^ "Meena Harris". Internet Broadway Database.
- ^ a b "Meena Harris". www.harpercollins.com.
- ^ a b "Kamala Harris' niece wants to inspire the next generation of social activists". www.businessinsider.com.
- ^ @meenaharris (October 20, 2019). "Love sharing a birthday with you @kamalaharris. October 20, and exactly 20 years apart!!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Donald Harris, Kamala Harris's Dad, Is a Renowned Stanford Professor". www.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
- ^ "Meena Harris '12". Harvard Law Today.
- ^ "Meena Harris Teams With Former Funny Or Die Exec, Obama White House Alum Brad Jenkins To Launch Phenomenal Productions". www.yahoo.com. December 3, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ Goldberg, Melissa (January 20, 2021). "Meena Harris, Vice President Kamala Harris's Niece, Is a Bestselling Children's Author". Oprah Daily. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ Angelou, Maya. "Phenomenal Woman". allpoetry.com. All Poetry. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ "How to change the world, a five step guide". www.vogue.com.au.
- ^ Symonds, Alexandria; Syckle, Katie Van (September 28, 2018). "Your Beliefs Here: A Look at Advocacy Advertising in The Times". The New York Times.
- ^ Testa, Jessica (January 9, 2021). "Meena Harris, Building That Brand". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ "Meena Harris, Brad Jenkins to Launch Phenomenal Productions". The Hollywood Reporter. December 3, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ Betancourt, Bianca (October 13, 2020). "Meena Harris's New Children's Book Is Dedicated to Little Girls Who've Been Told They're "Too Much"". Harper's BAZAAR. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
- ^ A Is for Ambitious (Ambitious Girl, 2) Hardcover – Picture Book, March 14, 2023. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 2023. ISBN 978-0316354493.
- ^ "It's Black Women's Equal Pay Day. No Matter Who You Are, That Should Matter to You". www.glamour.com. August 22, 2019.
- ^ "Corporate Change: Meena". www.uber.com.
- ^ Redrup, Yolanda (June 12, 2015). "Facebook veteran Nik Ajagu joins board of Whole New Home". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
- ^ Bose, Debanjali (August 13, 2020). "Kamala Harris, Joe Biden's VP pick, comes from a family of lawyers and Stanford graduates. Meet the family". Business Insider. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- ^ Stein, Michelle (November 11, 2020). "Meena Harris' Daughter Told Aunt Kamala She Wants to Be an 'Astronaut President'". distractify.com. Distractify. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ "'I am Hindu, stop using religion as cover for fascism': Meena Harris hits out on farmer protest issue". theweek.in. February 7, 2021.