The curious tale of Kamala Harris and the Northern Irish slave owner
In the heart of Ballymoney, a small town in Northern Ireland’s County Antrim, bike leather-clad tourists seek out a well-manicured memorial garden.
Astride his motorbike, a life-sized statue of champion racer Joey Dunlop leans back, arms folded, a victorious grin engraved for eternity. The late King of the Roads, a local legend, still commands pilgrimage from around the world.
There are statues too of his brother Robert, and nephew William, all three men taken before their time, snatched away by one of the world’s most dangerous sports.
Down the street, drinkers sip pints in the sunshine outside Joey’s Bar, beneath his smiling image. This place knows how to celebrate its sons.
Statue of Joey Dunlop, motorcycle racing legend from Ballymoney
Yet there is a strange reticence to embrace the ancestral ties that might see Ballymoney blood in the Oval Office. A reluctance to acknowledge the town’s most famous daughter. “You’ll not get them to talk on that,” one man told me. And I soon found out how right he was.
Five years ago, Donald J Harris, father of Kamala Harris, revealed his belief that he is descended from Hamilton Brown, born in Ballymoney around 1776. Brown emigrated to Jamaica and ran sugar plantations. He owned scores of slaves, some treated harshly.
In an essay by Harris, published by the Jamaica Global Online website, the Stanford University professor wrote: “My roots go back, within my lifetime, to my paternal grandmother Miss Chrishy (nee Christiana Brown, descendant of Hamilton Brown who is on record as plantation and slave owner and founder of Brown’s Town).” Donald J Harris emigrated to the US from Jamaica in 1961.
Donald J Harris with his baby daughter Kamala. Pic Kamala Harris
That story has been given fresh impetus since Joe Biden paved the way for Kamala Harris to become the Democratic presidential candidate. In recent weeks, a County Antrim historian said he had found documentation shedding further light on Hamilton Brown.
Stephen McCracken told the local newspaper, the Ballymoney Chronicle, that he had discovered letters connecting Brown to his birthplace in Bracough, a townland just outside Ballymoney. He told the newspaper that Brown was “a seriously bad man, who travelled to London a few times to campaign against the abolition of slavery”.
The Irish Times picked up on the story, as did the Belfast Telegraph and the Daily Mail.
“I’ve been getting a wee bit of abuse over it,” McCracken told the Irish Times. “People have been asking me why I’ve publicised it.”
The local Ballymoney newspaper ran an article on Harris’s links to the town
When I asked him for an interview, he declined, citing an abusive backlash via social media, including Kamala Harris supporters accusing him of trying to wreck her campaign.
Right-wing and pro-Trump memes have circulated since 2019, painting the Harris family as “descended from slave owners”, without any context. These tropes deliberately ignore the ugly explanation that slave owners commonly raped their female slaves, explaining why many black Jamaicans have European genes.
In the ultra-polarised world of American politics, Kamala supporters were allegedly hitting out at those publicising her heritage, seeing it as ammunition for further MAGA propaganda.
Meanwhile, the Ballymoney Chronicle carried a follow-up piece practically debunking the original claim of lineage. A qualified genealogist told the paper that the links were “unproven”, and said Hamilton Brown was not recorded as getting married or having children.
Depiction of slavery in British West Indies, most likely Jamaica, 1800. Pic slaveryimages.org,
When I asked that genealogist for an interview – they agreed. The next day they abruptly cancelled, calling the story “a pile of nonsense”.
I asked McCracken for further details of his research. He stopped replying.
A third historian told me he didn’t think existing documentation would ever prove the link. “You’d need DNA testing,” he said.
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I felt like I was encountering a wall of silence from others in Ballymoney. Multiple phone calls, messages and emails to a high-profile local DUP councillor went unanswered. A Sinn Fein colleague seemed unaware of the story and not overly interested in an interview. Ballymoney business owners declined to arrange interviews, or were not returning calls.
Repeated attempts to visit Ballymoney were abandoned due to rioting in Belfast. Another journey was aborted after the Sky News satellite van suffered a blow-out on a particularly inhospitable stretch of road.
The story was starting to feel a bit cursed.
This bronze sculpture welcomes visitors to the Barack Obama Plaza. Photo by Adrian Langtry/Shutterstock
When we did belatedly arrive, the contrast to other US presidential “hometowns” in Ireland was stark. Long before they received the imprimatur of an actual visit, Ballina in Co Mayo and Carlingford in Co Louth were abuzz with Bidenmania.
You can’t visit the “Barack Obama Plaza” motorway service station outside Moneygall, Co Offaly, without a sense of the faintly ridiculous Irish enthusiasm for presidential heritage. Petrol and a chicken fillet roll downstairs, Obama visitor centre upstairs.
Yet, half a decade on from Donald J Harris’s revelation, there isn’t a solitary sign of the transatlantic connection in Ballymoney. Not a mural, a sign, a US flag or an enterprising cafe with a Kamala-themed name.
On Main Street, pedestrians were bemused. Most simply hadn’t heard the tale. It’d take more than Kamala to brighten up “this dreary town”, one woman ventured, a bit unkindly.
There is a seeming reticence to discuss Kamala Harris’s links to Ballymoney
But some locals were happy to talk.
In the W & J Walker hardware shop, paint brushes from both the “Hamilton” and “Harris” brands hung serendipitously side-by-side.
“People around here like family trees,” said worker Joanne Donnell. “They like to go back to the original people.”
“It’ll bring a bit of excitement to the town,” her sister Rhonda Lafferty said. “We get a lot of visitors here from America, this summer especially.”
Rhonda Lafferty and Joanne Donnell, sisters who both work at the W & J Walker shop in Ballymoney
Neither woman seemed concerned that Hamilton Brown was a slave owner. “People take these things with a pinch of salt,” said Joanne. “It was a long time ago.”
Winifred Mellot owns the bustling The Winsome Lady clothes shop. A popular figure, she is also the long-serving president of the Ballymoney Chamber of Commerce. She doesn’t think Brown’s slave-owning past should sour any future celebrations.
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“I don’t think so,” she said. “I mean let’s face it, we all have ancestors we’re not happy with, and you can’t blame Kamala or her family for what Hamilton Brown did. No, we don’t approve of it but it’s history.”
Winifred Mellot, owner of The Winsome Lady clothes shop and president of Ballymoney Chamber of Commerce
County Antrim’s White House credentials are also history. Incredibly, nine US presidents (with varying degrees of certainty) claim lineage from The Saffron County, from Andrew Jackson right up to Ronald Reagan (shared with Co Tipperary).
Can Kamala Harris make it 10? That depends firstly on the US electorate, and a willingness in Ballymoney to embrace the story.
Not far from the town you’ll find the Dark Hedges which portray the “King’s Road” in Game Of Thrones. A certain darkness too, may lurk within the branches of the Harris family tree. But while historians bicker, Kamala’s own father knows his truth. And that roots the family as surely in Antrim soil as those storm-battered beeches.
US
California wild fires: Furious Palisades resident challenges Governor Gavin Newsom over disaster response
A woman from the fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles has offered to “fill up the hydrants myself” as she confronted state governor Gavin Newsom over his response to the disaster.
Rachel Darvish, a lawyer who has lived in the Palisades all her life, was forced to flee her home along with many thousands of others because of the devastating flames.
She was speaking to Sky correspondent Martha Kelner when she saw Mr Newsom in the street and rushed up to his vehicle.
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Mr Newsom said he was trying to call the president to secure more help
Rachel Darvish rushed to Governor Newsom’s car
Shouting to him that her daughter’s school had been destroyed in the fires, she demanded to know “what you’re going to do”.
Holding up his phone, he told her he was “literally talking to the president [Joe Biden] right now to specifically answer the question of what we can do for you and your daughter”, adding he had tried “five times” but couldn’t get through.
Authorities have been criticised for an alleged sluggish response to the catastrophe, including from Hollywood celebrities whose homes have been damaged.
Ms Darvish, whose own home survived the fires, but who has many neighbours whose properties had burned to the ground, said she didn’t believe him and demanded to watch him make the call.
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Aerial views reveal LA destruction
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‘Every single house burned to the ground’
He repeated that he was calling “to immediately get reimbursements, individual assistance and to help”, adding that he was “devastated for you… especially for your daughter”.
Ms Darvish then asked him why there was “no water in the hydrants?”. She said she “would fill up the hydrants myself”, before asking him if it was going be different “next time?”.
He replied: “It has to be. Of course,” adding that he was calling the president “to address everything I can right now, including making sure people like you are safe”.
Soon afterwards, he got in his car and drives off.
Five people have died in the series of wildfires, driven by ferocious winds, that have raged through the Los Angeles area, ravaging communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena, forcing more than 179,000 people to leave their homes.
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More deaths are likely, officials have said.
The blazes have burned across more than 17,000 acres in Pacific Palisades, where the fires are 0% contained, according to the Fire Department’s latest update.
More than 10,000 acres are ablaze across the fires – named Eaton, Hurst, Lidia and Sunset.
Hollywood celebrities are among thousands of people who have been evacuated in Los Angeles, some fleeing homes now burned to the ground.
Paris Hilton and actor Billy Crystal have both lost their houses as fires rip through parts of California, including exclusive suburbs home to film stars and billionaires.
Oscar-winning songwriter Diane Warren, talk show host Ricki Lake, actor Cary Elwes, and reality stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag have also confirmed their homes have been destroyed.
US media is reporting that Eugene Levy, and Adam Brody and Leighton Meester, have lost their homes. The stars are yet to confirm this.
Sky News’ US correspondent Martha Kelner reported that Tom Hanks, Ben Affleck and Reese Witherspoon were among those evacuated.
Follow latest: At least five killed as flames spread
Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
The California wildfires as of Thursday morning.
The blaze in Pacific Palisades, a hillside area between Santa Monica and Malibu dotted with celebrity homes, is one of at least five raging in California.
Thousands of firefighters are trying to contain the flames, with a new fire breaking out overnight in the Hollywood Hills, threatening a host of tourist sites including the Walk Of Fame.
‘The loss is overwhelming’
Hilton said she was “heartbroken beyond words” to see her Malibu home, where she has brought up her young children Phoenix and London, “burn to the ground on live TV”.
In a post on social media, she said: “This home was where we built so many precious memories. It’s where Phoenix took his first steps and where we dreamed of building a lifetime of memories with London.
“While the loss is overwhelming, I’m holding onto gratitude that my family and pets are safe.”
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In a joint statement, US actor Crystal, known for films including When Harry Met Sally and Analyze This, and his wife Janice confirmed their home of 46 years was gone.
“Words cannot describe the enormity of the devastation we are witnessing and experiencing,” the couple said.
They added: “We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can’t be taken away.”
Pic: Reuters
The Hills stars Pratt and Montag documented the escalation of the fire at their home on Snapchat, with Pratt saying: “I’m watching our house burn down on the security cameras.”
His sister, Stephanie, who also starred in The Hills, as well as Made In Chelsea, told Sky News yesterday that she did not know if her own home was okay.
“I talked to my neighbour last night and she told me that [Palisades Charter High School] had burnt down, and that’s directly behind me, and so had Gelson’s Supermarket which is adjacent,” she said.
“I just can’t reach anyone to see if my house is okay. I just Googled it and it said that it’s destroyed and terrible… I don’t know if my house is there.”
Jamie Lee Curtis confirmed her home was safe but said “our beloved neighbourhood is gone” as she shared videos of the blaze on her Instagram.
Writer and actor Steve Guttenberg told Sky News he witnessed panic attacks and despair as he tried to help residents as the flames closed in.
The Police Academy star said: “There were mothers trying to find their kids.
“There were panic attacks. It was terrible. And that’s when the fires just lit up.”
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Guttenberg calls on national guard
Other celebrities who have fled their properties include the award-winning actor James Woods, who said he had been safely evacuated from his home in Pacific Palisades.
But he added in a post on X: “I do not know at this moment if our home is still standing.”
Actor Mark Hamill, best known for playing Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars films, also posted on social media on Wednesday saying he evacuated his home in Malibu and his family were “fleeing for our lives”.
This Is Us actress Mandy Moore was also forced to leave her home with her children and pets, saying on Instagram they had found temporary refuge with friends.
The actress said: “Trying to shield the kids from the immense sadness and worry I feel.
“Praying for everyone in our beautiful city. So gutted for the destruction and loss. Don’t know if our place made it.”
Mark Hamill and Mandy Moore fled their homes. File Pics: Reuters
An awards ceremony planned for this weekend has been pushed back by two weeks, while the Oscar nominations next week have also been postponed.
According to Velvet Ropes, which maps celebrity properties, Matt Damon, Steven Spielberg, Hilary Swank and Sally Field all have homes close to where fires are raging.
Dr Dre, Tyra Banks, Martin Short, Anna Faris, Milo Ventimiglia, Linda Cardellini, Mary McDonnell, Adam Sandler, Miles Teller, and Jennifer Love Hewitt are also said to have houses in affected areas.
Pic: AP
The LA skyline cloaked in smoke. Pic: Reuters
In neighbouring Malibu, which was also affected by fires in December, stars including Beyonce and Jay-Z, Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish are said to be among the celebrity residents.
The Palisades blaze has already burnt through nearly 16,000 acres of land, while the Eaton fire, covering over 10,000 acres, has caused the death of five people.
Three other fires, the Hurst fire, Lidia fire and Sunset fire, are all raging as emergency services battle to bring them under control.
All five of the living US presidents have been pictured together at the funeral of Jimmy Carter.
The 39th US president died at the age of 100 on 29 December, in his hometown of Plains, Georgia.
President Joe Biden gave a eulogy to his fellow Democrat at the state funeral at the Washington National Cathedral.
He appeared alongside president-elect Donald Trump and other former presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton and their respective spouses.
Front row L-R: Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Kamala Harris, Douglas Emhoff. Second row L-R: Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, George W Bush, Laura Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Melania Trump
Pic: AP
Vice president Kamala Harris, who lost the 2024 election to Mr Trump, was also seated with the group alongside her husband.
It’s the first time the Democrat nominee has been seen with the president-elect since the US election, and after she certified Mr Trump’s election win on Monday.
Pic: AP
Before the service, Mr Trump was also seen shaking hands with former vice president Mike Pence – the first time the pair have been seen in public together since leaving the White House in 2021.
Prior to that, Mr Pence had refused to back Mr Trump’s claim he had won the 2020 election.
Pic: Reuters
Mr Obama and Mr Trump were also seen talking before the service began.
Pic: AP
During his eulogy, Mr Biden said Mr Carter taught him the importance of treating “everyone with dignity and respect.”
“To young people, to anyone in search of meaning and purpose, study the power of Jimmy Carter’s example,” the president said. “Character, faith, love – a true patriot.”
Joshua Carter, the former president’s grandson, also said at the service: “He built houses for people who needed homes.
“He eliminated diseases in forgotten places. He waged peace anywhere in the world, wherever he saw a chance. He loved people.”
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From 4 January, Mr Carter’s body was carried by a motorcade through Plains, before heading to the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta.
The former president’s remains were then flown to Maryland and transferred in a ceremony to a hearse, which was carried in a motorcade to the US Navy Memorial in Washington to honour Mr Carter’s service as a lieutenant in the Navy.
He has since been lying in state at the Capitol Building, where the public could pay respects from Tuesday evening through to Thursday morning
Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also attended. Pic: AP
Mr Carter’s body will now be returned to his hometown in Georgia for a second service and burial.
There, a private ceremony will be held at Maranatha Baptist Church before another procession through Plains, where supporters are being encouraged to line the streets for the motorcade.
Mr Carter will then be buried on his property next to his late wife, Rosalynn, who died in 2023.
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