During her diplomatic tour of Africa, Vice President Kamala Harris made a personal visit to the site of her maternal grandfather’s home in Lusaka, where he lived as an Indian public servant in the 1960s.
P.V. Gopalan worked with the newly independent Zambia government on refugee resettlement six decades ago, and his home was located at 16 Independence Ave., where Harris visited as a child.
Although the home no longer exists, an office building now stands on the land. The location was identified through plot numbers in public records and land surveys. Officials at the U.S. Embassy in Lusaka worked tirelessly to confirm the precise location of Gopalan’s home by poring through public records, speaking with Zambian and Indian authorities, and reaching out to former Zambian government officials. Harris’ family members also offered memories about the home, which helped with the embassy’s search.
The confirmation came just in time for Harris’ weeklong trip to Africa. The Zambian Ministry of Lands confirmed that 16 Independence Ave. was indeed Gopalan’s home through a March 9, 1967 public lands document. As Harris toured the location, U.S. embassy official Elizabeth Norikane told the vice president that she had been searching for the precise spot for a year.
Harris said it was “very special” to go back, and she described her grandfather as “one of my favorite people” with a lasting influence on her life. “He believed in the nobility of public service, he believed in fighting corruption,” she said. “These are things he would talk about a lot, and I don’t think until I was older I realized how that subconsciously influenced the way I think.”
Zambia has celebrated Harris’ childhood ties to the country, greeting her with signs that read: “Welcome back to Zambia” as she drove from the airport into the city.
How it started: How it’s going: pic.twitter.com/KVIM3t5qFo
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) March 31, 2023We welcome @KamalaHarris back home to #Zambia, Mwaiseni, Twamilandilani.
🇿🇲 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/E0KGqec6uV
— Hakainde Hichilema (@HHichilema) March 31, 2023
