Donald J. Harris, born Donald Jasper Harris on August 23, 1938, in Brown’s Town, St. Ann Parish, Jamaica, identifies as Afro-Jamaican. His parents, Oscar Joseph Harris and Beryl Christie Harris (née Finegan), raised him in a cultural and historical environment shaped by Jamaica’s independence journey and economic challenges. Though details about his siblings are limited, it’s mentioned that he had at least one older brother.

Donald pursued his undergraduate studies at the University of the West Indies before moving to the U.S., earning a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley. His research focused on international economics and economic conditions in developing countries. He went on to become a renowned economist, critiquing inequality and development economics, and made history as the first Black tenured professor in Stanford University‘s Economics Department.

In the mid-1960s, Donald married Shyamala Gopalan, an Indian-American cancer researcher, and they had two daughters, Kamala Harris and Maya Harris. Kamala would later rise to prominence in U.S. politics. Although Donald and Shyamala divorced in 1971, they remained amicable, co-parenting their daughters.