>>> WELCOME BACK.
LESS THAN A WEEK TO GO UNTIL ONE
OF THE MOST HISTORIC
INAUGURATIONS IN AMERICAN
HISTORY.
JENNA HAS AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS A UNIQUE
PERSPECTIVE.
MEENA HARRIS, THE NIECE OF VICE
PRESIDENT-ELECT KAMALA HARRIS.
>> WE TALKED ABOUT HER AUNT,
GROWING UP IN A FAMILY OF STRONG
WOMEN, HER HOPE FOR THE FUTURE,
AND HER NEW CHILDREN’S BOOK,
"AMBITIOUS GIRL."
>> Reporter: MEENA HARRIS KNOWS
A THING OR TWO ABOUT AMBITION.
HER AUNT IS OUR NATION’S FIRST
FEMALE VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT.
I KNOW Y’ALL ARE EXTREMELY
CLOSE.
I WONDER WHAT THAT MOMENT WAS
LIKE FOR YOU, WHEN YOU FOUND OUT
SHE WOULD BE THE FIRST WOMAN
VICE PRESIDENT, THE FIRST WOMAN
OF COLOR VICE PRESIDENT, WHAT
THAT MEANT TO YOU AND YOUR
FAMILY.
>> TO BE HONEST, MY FIRST
FEELING AND REACTION WAS RELIEF
AND HOPE.
YES, AS A FAMILY MEMBER, I MEAN,
IT WAS SURREAL.
THERE ARE MOMENTS, EVEN NOW, I
KIND OF SIT BACK AND AM LIKE,
OH, MY GOD, IN THE HISTORY OF
OUR ENTIRE COUNTRY, THE FIRST.
IT IS MIND-BLOWING.
IT SHOULDN’T HAVE TAKEN THIS
LONG.
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT
IT IS WHAT WE ARE EXPERIENCING
IN OUR HOUSE, WITH OUR GIRLS AND
OUR FAMILY, IS WHAT EVERYONE
ACROSS THE COUNTRY, ACROSS THE WORLD IS EXPERIENCING.
WORLD IS EXPERIENCING.
>> Reporter: MENA’SENA’S OPTIMIS
HAS BEEN DIMMED.
LAST WEEK, OUR CAPITOL WAS TAKEN
SIEGE BY AMERICANS.
I WONDER WHAT YOU THOUGHT AS YOU
WITNESSED THAT.
>> I WAS TERRIFIED.
I THINK THE SECOND REACTION WAS
SHOCK, BUT ALSO NOT BEING
SURPRISED, GIVEN WHAT WE HAVE
ALLOWED TO GO UNCHECKED FOR THE
LAST FOUR YEARS.
THERE HAS NOT BEEN AN OUNCE OF
ACCOUNTABILITY.
THAT FRIGHTENS ME.
>> Reporter: BUT DESPITE THE
DARK MOMENTS, MEENA HOLDS ON TO
HOPE FOR A BRIGHT FUTURE.
SHE’S DOING HER PART TO PAVE THE
WAY.
AT JUST 36, MEENA IS AN
ENTREPRENEUR, ACTIVIST, MOM, AND
AUTHOR.
AFTER WORKING AS A LAWYER AND
TECH EXEC, HARRIS PUT HER
HARVARD LAW DEGREE TO THE SIDE,
TO PURSUE WHAT WAS THEN HER SIDE
PROJECT.
INSPIRED BY MAYA ANGELOU’S
"QUESTIONPHENOMENAL WOMAN," SHE
IMPORTANT CAUSES FORWARD.
THE CLOTHING BRAND EXPANDED TO
INCLUDE ACTIVISM AND SOCIAL
JUSTICE.
THE SUCCESS OF MEENA’S BRAND
SHOULD COME AS NO SURPRISE.
AFTER ALL, AMBITION RUNS IN THE
HARRIS FAMILY.
YOU COME FROM A LONG LINE OF
AMBITIOUS WOMEN.
TALK TO ME ABOUT WHAT THIS
LOOKED LIKE WHEN YOU WERE A
LITTLE GIRL.
>> IT WAS A LOT OF AMBITIOUS
WOMEN.
IT WAS ALL WOMEN, SO IT WAS A
REALLY TINY FAMILY UNIT OF ME,
MY MOM, MY GRANDMOTHER, AND MY
AUNT.
IT WAS AMAZING FOR, YOU KNOW, A
LITTLE GIRL TO GROW UP AND TO
SEE THE WORLD THROUGH STRONG,
POWERFUL WOMEN.
I USED TO JOKE THAT IT’S SORT OF
LIKE THE OPENING SCENE OF THE
FIRST "WONDER WOMAN" MOVIE,
WHERE THEY’RE LIKE, YOU KNOW, ON
THIS ALL FEMALE SOVEREIGN ISLAND
NATION, RUNNING AROUND, SAVING
THE WORLD.
THAT’S WHEREAT IT LOOKED LIKE TO
AS A LITTLE GIRL.
>> Reporter: MEENA’S MOM, MAYA,
HAD HER AT 17.
GOING THROUGH LAW SCHOOL,
BECOMING AN ATTORNEY AND PUBLIC
ADVOCACYDVOCATE
ADVOCATE.
>> I SAW HER IN THE WORLD,
LEADING.
SOMETIMES SHE DIDN’T HAVE CHILD
CARE, SO SHE TOOK ME TO THE
CLASS, THE LIBRARY, THE OFFICE
ON THE WEEKEND.
WHAT IT MEANT FOR ME AS A KID IS
I GOT TO SEE MY MOM DOING THINGS
IN THE WORLD, AND UNDERSTOOD
THAT SHE WAS, YOU KNOW, MAKING A
POSITIVE IMPACT.
>> Reporter: IN CHILDREN’S
LITERATURE, MEENA DIDN’T ALWAYS
SEE SUCCESSFUL FEMALES
REFLECTED.
AS A MOM TO TWO YOUNG GIRLS,
REPRESENTATION IS MORE IMPORTANT
TO HER NOW THAN EVER.
>> THERE WERE A LACK OF
CHARACTERS THAT LOOKED LIKE OUR
FAMILY, THAT LOOKED LIKE MY
DAUGHTERS.
WE WOULD SOMETIMES COLOR THE
SKIN COLOR IN WITH A BROWN
MARKER.
I LEARNED THAT IN 2018,
SOMETHING LIKE, THERE WERE MORE
BOOKS THAT HAD ANIMALS AS MAIN
CHARACTERS THAN THERE WERE BOOKS
WITH BLACK, LATIN X, INDIGENOUS,
ASIAN, HUMAN CHARACTERS
COMBINED.
WE’RE JUST NOT REPRESENTED ON
THE PAGES OF BOOKS, AND I WANTED
TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT.
I SORT OF SAID, I’M GOING TO
WRITE THE BOOKS MYSELF.
>> Reporter: "AMBITIOUS GIRL" IS
HARRIS’ SECOND CHILDREN’S BOOK.
WHEN A YOUNG GIRL SEES A STRONG
WOMAN LABELED ON TV AS TOO
ASSERTIVE AND TOO AMBITIOUS, IT
SENDS HER ON A JOURNEY TO
RECLAIM WORDS MEANT TO KNOCK HER
DOWN.
A CONCEPT PASSED THROUGH
GENERATIONS OF HARRIS WOMEN.
>> MY GRANDMOTHER HAD THIS
SAYING THAT KAMALA TALKS BT A SS
LOT, YOU MAY BE THE FIRST TO DO
A LOT OF THINGS.
>> I WILL NOT BE THE LAST.
>> I WAS TOLD I CAN DO ANYTHING,
BE ANYTHING, AND AMBITIOUS MEANT
PURPOSE, DETERMINATION.
IT MEANT HAVING A DREAM AND A
VISION AND GOING AFTER IT, NOT
LETTING ANYONE GET IN YOUR WAY.
>> IT’S SO IMPRESSIVE TO HEAR
THAT HISTORY.
I KNOW ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE
STORIES WAS WHEN SHE WAS A
LITTLE GIRL.
>> I LOVED THAT FROM THE TIME
SHE WAS A LITTLE GIRL, SHE WAS
AMBITIOUS.
SHE ACTUALLY WENT WITH HER MOM
BECAUSE HER MOM WAS A TEEN MOM
TO ALL OF HER CLASSES AT
STANFORD.
STOOD IN LINE AND INTRODUCED HER
MOTHER TO HER CURRENT HUSBAND BY
ASKING HIM TO PLAY HIDE AND GO
SEEK.
>> WOW.
>> I KNOW.
>> THAT’S A STORY.
>> CUTE.
>> ANOTHER FAIRY TALE TO TELL.
>> I LOVED THE INSIGHT TO THIS
FAMILY OF STRONG WOMEN.
IT WAS COOL.
>> JENNA, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
AGAIN, THE BOOK IS "AMBITIOUS