At the age of 37, Meena Harris has accomplished more in her career than most will in a lifetime. The niece of Vice President Kamala Harris, Meena Harris is a lawyer, has published several children's books, was the head of strategy and leadership at Uber, has her own production company, and is founder of the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign, which creates statement fashion pieces to support charity.
Born into a family of strong women, Meenakshi Harris was raised by her single mother Maya, a lawyer and public policy expert, who had her when she was a teenager. With the support of her mother, aunt, and grandmother, Harris was always told accomplishing her dreams was possible. She attended Stanford University for her undergraduate education and then went on to Harvard University to earn her Juris Doctor.
Harris is dedicated to social justice and empowering women.
“Equality, both gender and racial, has always been central to my identity. My grandmother fought in the civil rights movement. My mother is a racial justice lawyer. It’s what I’ve always lived and breathed,” she said in an interview with Katie Couric Media.
In 2017, Harris founded her fashion company Phenomenal, named after a Maya Angelou poem, which expanded to include the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign. The organization covers a broad range of social causes, including “educational excellence and healthcare equity, criminal justice reform, gender parity in STEM, reproductive health, and political representation,” according to her speech at the Vogue Codes Summit in Sydney, Australia.
The campaign has attracted dozens of celebrity ambassadors sporting its T-shirts and sweatshirts on their social media platforms, including Serena Williams, Jessica Alba, Viola Davis, Yara Shahidi, Tracee Ellis Ross, Lizzo, and Janelle Monae.
In December 2020, the creation of Phenomenal Productions was announced and will focus on equity and underrepresented voices in film, television, and digital media. That same year, Harris released her first children's book, “Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea,” with “Ambitious Girl” following in 2021. “The Truth About Mrs. Clause” is her most recent publication, with “A is for Ambitious” slated for release in March 2023.