Rumors Kamala Harris Was Raised in Canada Are Partially True, but Misleading

Since she became the presumptive nominee for president for the Democratic party, Kamala Harris has faced a variety of accusations from her political opponents. Some of those allegations have some merit, but others are entirely basis.

Among the allegations that have been leveled at Harris are those that attack her heritage, either claiming that she "only recently became Black" or that she wasn't born in the U.S. at all (which may sound familiar to some people). Among the allegations that Harris has faced is that she was raised in Canada, which has led some to wonder whether that's true.

The idea that Kamala Harris was "raised in Canada" is not false, but it's a misrepresentation of reality. Harris spent most of her childhood in the U.S. but her family moved to Quebec when she was 12 years old and stayed there through high school. She returned to the U.S. for college and has lived there ever since. The suggestion that she was "raised in Canada" reflects a part of her childhood, but she has lived in the U.S. for most of her life.

Harris was originally born in Oakland, Calif. to an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, and the notion that she only recently began identifying as Black is false. She has long identified that way, and in fact attended Howard University, a historically Black college in Washington, D.C. The notion that she has somehow manipulated her heritage or racial identification is largely misleading.

Kamala has been an American citizen all her life, and although she was partially "raised in Canada," that has no bearing on her familiarity with America. The main motivation behind these kinds of attacks is the suggestion that Kamala Harris is somehow less American than those she is competing against because she lived part of her life in another country, or was born to parents who aren't originally from here offers an incomplete picture of what it means to be American.

It's true that Harris's family does not have deep roots in America, but Harris's story is fundamentally American in a way that a huge portion of this country can relate to. Her parents came here for opportunity, and her own skill and grit pushed her all the way to the vice presidency.

Now, in part because she is a Black woman and in part because they simply want to win, Republicans have decided to paint Harris in ways they likely would have never thought to question Joe Biden. Like all candidates, she is not perfect, but the notion that she is un-American ignores a huge part of the population with experiences similar to her.

So yes, Kamala Harris spent part of her childhood in Canada. The bigger question, though, is why that should matter as long is she is legally allowed to run for president. There are certain things in a person's history that could disqualify them from the presidency, but moving to Canada because your parents made you shouldn't be one of them.