Image Sourced Via: Maura Hohman
Meenakshi Ashley Harris (Meena Harris) was born on 20th October 1984. She is an American lawyer, children’s book author, producer, and founder of the Phenomenal Women Action Campaign. Her first book which she released in June 2020 from Harper Collins titled Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea which is based on the story of her mother Maya Harris and aunt Kamala Harris.
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Her early Life
Her mother Maya Harris got pregnant in her senior year in high school and gave birth to Meena on the same day as Kamala Harris was born. While Maya studied for her undergraduate degree at the University of California-Berkeley and Stanford Law School, Meena stayed home with her grandmother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris.
Shyamala was a prominent breast cancer researcher and civil rights activist. She embedded in Meena all the values she instilled in both Kamala and Maya Harris. Seeing how her mom being a single mom put herself through school and her aunt does incredible things and become one of the most powerful women in the world starting in their 20’s, what her grandmother said to her became all the more real ‘you may be first, but don’t be last’. Meena met Maya’s husband Tony West in a courtyard where they played a game. Maya and Tony got married in 1998. Meena went to law school after getting her bachelor’s degree.
What Makes Meena An Internet Icon?
She unlike her mom and aunt had a brief legal career in which she was a data privacy and cybersecurity attorney at a global law firm. Meena was encouraged by her aunt to run for office but she felt it wasn’t her field. She worked as a senior adviser on her aunt’s U.S Senate race. While she did that she started a small side project inspired by Maya Angelou’s poem.
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In four years her T-shirt business has grown into the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign which also sells trees, sweatshirts, hats, leggings, socks, and bodysuits all of which raise awareness around issues surrounding underrepresented communities. She also authored two children’s books Kamala And Maya’s Big Idea and Ambitious Girl.
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She usually shares behind the scene content of her aunt Kamara on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Meena Harris has 741 thousand followers on Instagram and her account is also verified. She has 2.3 million followers on Tiktok where her account is also verified.
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