Kamala Harris's Niece, Meena Harris, Is a Mom of Two Daughters, Amara and Leela

The first time many Americans met Meena Harris, Kamala Harris’s niece, was at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. With Kamala now running as the Democratic presidential candidate for 2024, the spotlight is once again on her family, particularly her niece’s children, who spoke at the 2024 DNC.

Kamala is particularly close with Meena and her two daughters, Amara and Leela. Here’s everything we know about the girls and some insight into their future aspirations.

During an introduction video at the virtual 2020 DNC, viewers met the Kamala's sister, niece, and stepdaughter.

"You're my role model who taught me I could do and be anything I wanted," Meena said during the video, which aired in August 2020. "You showed me the importance of public service and made sure I grew up surrounded by smart, strong, ambitious women."

Kamala's niece continued, "And now that I'm a mom, you're showing my daughters and so many girls around the world who look like them what's possible and what it's like to move through the world as fierce, formidable, phenomenal women in their own unique way."

It's clear Kamala has (and continues to) make a significant impact on the women in her family. Meena is often seen supporting her aunt at various political events, along with her daughters. At the 2024 DNC, Leela and Amara joined actress Kerry Washington on stage to help the audience (and anyone who might be confused) pronounce their aunt's name correctly.

First off, Meenakshi "Meena" Harris is the daughter of Maya (Kamala's younger sister) and Tony West. She's a graduate of Harvard Law School and the founder of the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign — and she happens to be incredibly close with her aunt, Kamala.

Meena and her partner, Nikolas Ajagu, have two daughters: Amara Ajagu, 8, and Leela, 6. She regularly shares photos of both girls via Instagram.

"They are both incredibly strong-willed and independent but also are so loving," Meena told Mother in January 2019. "The older one is more serious, and loves books, but she also has a great sense of humor. The younger one is very playful, smiles constantly, and tickling her elicits the most delicious giggles."

A video of Kamala telling Amara, "You could be president," (as long as she's over 35) is basically the sweetest thing — mostly because the then-4-year-old proceeds to tell her great-aunt that she wants to be an "astronaut president." Yasss, girl!

In addition to being a mom, non-profit founder, niece of the 2024 presidential candidate, and former senior advisor on policy and communications for Kamala's 2016 Senate bid, Meena is also a children’s author. Her book, Kamala and Maya's Big Idea — which was inspired by her mother and aunt — was published in 2020.

"Once I became a mom and we started looking through children’s literature for our girls, I felt it was great that in the last three to five years there’s been this burst of literature around historical women," Meena told Glamour in January 2020. "I think that’s super important, but I also had this feeling like, Well, wouldn’t it be great if we had actual stories and real character development around girls—girls that look like mine, that were black and brown children?"

Meena's second kids' book, Ambitious Girl, released in January 2021. It's dedicated to her grandmother Shyamala Harris, who died in 2009.

"I wanted to include her and memorialize the values that my grandmother taught me and doing it to kind of honor her in raising these two girls who became these incredible, powerful, ambitious women with big ideas," Meena told Harper's Bazaar in October 2020. "It all goes back to her."