
Kamala Devi Harris was born on October 20, 1964, at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center in Oakland, California. Harris is the daughter of economist and Stanford University professor emeritus Donald J. Harris and cancer researcher Shyamala Gopalan. She is the first woman, first Black, and first Asian-American Vice President of the United States.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of Hospital | Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center |
| Other Names | Kaiser Hospital, The Permanente Foundation Hospital |
| Location | Oakland, California |
| Date of Birth | 20 October 1964 or 24 October 1964 |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
- Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, California, in 1964
- The hospital was Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center
- It was delivered by Dr. Maynard Douglas Driver, Oakland's first Black obstetrician-gynaecologist
- Her parents were biologist Shyamala Gopalan and economist Donald J. Harris
- The family moved to the Midwest in 1966, returning to California in 1970

Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, California, in 1964
Kamala Devi Harris was born in Oakland, California, in 1964. Her birth certificate confirms Oakland as her birthplace, and it is also the place of her early childhood home. Harris's parents, biologist Shyamala Gopalan and economist Donald J. Harris, met at the University of California-Berkeley in 1962. Gopalan earned her doctorate in nutrition and endocrinology the same year Harris was born. The family moved around the Midwest from 1966 to 1970, but Harris and her mother and sister returned to California in 1970, settling in Berkeley.
Harris was born at Kaiser Permanente's Oakland Medical Center, also known as the Permanente Foundation Hospital in Oakland. The hospital was founded by Henry Kaiser, and it was largely a World War II-era structure built to serve the racially integrated workforce of his shipyards. The hospital where Harris was born was demolished years ago, and a modern medical centre now stands on the site.
Harris's mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was a cancer researcher, and her father, Donald J. Harris, was an economics professor at Stanford University. Both of her parents were immigrants, her mother from India and her father from Jamaica. Harris's mother was listed as Caucasian on her birth record, a common classification in the U.S. at the time for people of Indian descent. Harris's parents changed her middle name from Iyer to Devi about two weeks after her birth.
Harris's family lived in a two-story L-shaped apartment building on Regent Street in Berkeley's Southside neighbourhood at the time of her birth. The family moved to Champaign, Illinois, in 1966, where her younger sister, Maya, was born. Harris and her mother and sister returned to California in 1970, while her father remained in the Midwest. They lived in Berkeley, in an area known as the "flatlands," which had a significant Black population.
Harris has strong connections to Oakland, California, and she began her political career there. She launched her first presidential campaign at Oakland's historic City Hall in 2019. She has described herself as the "Daughter of Oakland." Oakland is also the birthplace of the Black Panther Party, and Harris has been influenced by the city's social movements and pop culture.
Exploring Christopher Columbus' Birthplace: Which Hospital?
You may want to see also
Explore related products

The hospital was Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center
Kamala Harris was born at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center in Oakland, California, in 1964. The hospital is located at the intersection of Broadway and West MacArthur Boulevard, immediately north of Downtown Oakland. It is the flagship hospital of Kaiser Permanente, the largest managed care organization in the United States. The Oakland Medical Center was the first of the Kaiser Permanente hospitals, opening in 1942 after the Permanente Foundation acquired the Fabiola charity hospital.
The hospital has a rich history, with the original Fabiola hospital operating from 1887 to 1932 before its sale and subsequent transformation into the Oakland Medical Center. The current medical center features modern amenities, including single-occupancy rooms, private rooms with room service, free Wi-Fi, and pull-out guest beds. Each room is equipped with a 42-inch flat-screen monitor, allowing patients access to entertainment and essential medical information. The hospital also offers a range of medical services, such as cardiology, emergency care, gastroenterology, infectious diseases, neurology, oncology, and pediatric surgery.
Kaiser Permanente East Bay in Oakland also provides specialized prenatal care through its CenteringPregnancy program, empowering women to actively participate in their prenatal care and make informed choices for a healthy pregnancy and beyond. This nationally recognized program offers group support and prenatal classes to expectant mothers.
The Oakland Medical Center maintains relationships with nearby educational institutions, such as the Tang Center (the UC Berkeley student clinic) and Mills College, where students can access the center's services. The hospital is easily accessible via public transportation, with a weekday shuttle service (the Kaiser Shuttle) connecting it to the MacArthur BART station and several AC Transit bus lines.
HonorHealth Shea: Magnet Status Hospital?
You may want to see also
Explore related products

It was delivered by Dr. Maynard Douglas Driver, Oakland's first Black obstetrician-gynaecologist
Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, California, in 1964. Her birth hospital was Kaiser Permanente's Oakland Medical Center, also known as The Permanente Foundation Hospital in Oakland. The hospital is located on MacArthur Boulevard.
Harris was delivered by Dr Maynard Douglas Driver, Oakland's first Black obstetrician-gynaecologist. Dr Driver's family has celebrated his role in delivering Harris, who would go on to become the first Black, female vice president of the United States. In a tweet, Dr Driver's granddaughter, Mariah, wrote:
> 56 years ago, my grandfather delivered @KamalaHarris at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland [...]. My grandfather, the first black OBGYN in Oakland, delivered the first Black, female vice president of the United States. I wish he could be here today. #BidenHarris2020.
Dr Driver's contribution to Harris's birth holds a significant place in history, given Harris's groundbreaking achievements as the first woman, first Black person, and first Asian-American vice president of the United States.
Dr Driver's work as Oakland's first Black obstetrician-gynaecologist is also notable in itself. His medical career paved the way for future Black doctors in Oakland and across the United States. Dr Driver's role in Harris's birth highlights the interconnectedness of social progress and the advancement of civil rights for marginalised communities.
Moreover, Dr Driver's delivery of Harris symbolises the passing of the torch to a new generation committed to equality and social justice. Harris's political career and rise to the vice presidency have been inspired by her own experiences as a woman of colour, reflecting the importance of representation and diversity in leadership.
UF Health: Our Hospitals and Locations Across Florida
You may want to see also
Explore related products

Her parents were biologist Shyamala Gopalan and economist Donald J. Harris
Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, California, in 1964. Her parents were biologist Shyamala Gopalan and economist Donald J. Harris. They met as students at the University of California, Berkeley, having grown up on opposite sides of the world—Shyamala in India and Donald in Jamaica. They shared an interest in civil rights. Shyamala arrived in Northern California at the age of 19 to study at Berkeley. Her parents used some of their retirement savings to pay her tuition and board during her first year. She went on to earn a Ph.D. in nutrition and endocrinology at UC Berkeley in 1964.
Shyamala Gopalan was a cancer researcher born in Madras, Madras Province, British India (present-day Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India). She worked as a breast cancer researcher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Wisconsin. She also worked for 16 years at the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research and McGill University Faculty of Medicine. She served as a peer reviewer for the National Institutes of Health and as a site visit team member for the Federal Advisory Committee. She also served on the President's Special Commission on Breast Cancer. Her work in isolating and characterizing the progesterone receptor gene in mice changed research on the hormone-responsibility of breast tissue.
Donald J. Harris was born in Jamaica before the country gained independence from the UK. He attended British-run schools and later pursued a doctorate in economics, which brought him to the US. He became an emeritus professor of economics at Stanford University.
The Harris family moved around the Midwest from 1966 to 1970, when Kamala moved back to California. At the age of 12, she moved to Montreal, Quebec, where she attended school through her first year of college. She then attended Howard University and the University of California College of Law, San Francisco.
Crash Carts: Ensuring Every Hospital Floor Has Immediate Access
You may want to see also
Explore related products
$5.99

The family moved to the Midwest in 1966, returning to California in 1970
Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, California, in 1964. Her parents were biologist Shyamala Gopalan and economist Donald J. Harris. When Harris was born, her parents lived in a two-story L-shaped apartment building in Berkeley's Southside neighborhood.
In 1966, the Harris family moved to Champaign, Illinois, where her father had accepted a position at the University of Illinois. This was also where Kamala's younger sister, Maya, was born. The family moved around the Midwest, with both parents working at multiple universities in succession over a brief period.
During this time, the Harris family moved to various locations in the Midwest. In 1970, Kamala, her mother, and her sister returned to California, while her father remained in the Midwest. They stayed briefly on Milvia Street in central Berkeley, then moved to a duplex on Bancroft Way in West Berkeley. This area, known as the "flatlands," had a significant Black population.
The family's time in the Midwest was relatively short, lasting only a few years. However, it marked a period of transition and change for the Harris family, as they moved between different universities and welcomed a new addition to the family. By 1970, they had returned to California, where Kamala Harris would continue her education and eventually pursue a career in law and politics.
Staffing a Hospital: Optimal Numbers for Quality Care
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, California.
Kamala Harris was born at Kaiser Permanente's Oakland Medical Center, also known as The Permanente Foundation Hospital.
Yes, Oakland is considered U.S. soil.











































