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Kamala Harris is an American politician, lawyer, and the current Vice President of the United States,serving under President Joe Biden. Born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, Harris is the first woman, first Black American, and first South Asian American to hold the second-highest office in the country.
Harris’s; parents, Shyamala Gopalan and Donald Harris, were both immigrants to the United States. Her mother was a cancer researcher from Tamil Nadu, India, and her father was an economics professor from Jamaica. Harris was raised in a multicultural household, which helped shape her perspective on race and identity.
After completing her undergraduate degree in political science and economics at Howard University, Harris went on to earn a law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She began her career in law as a Deputy District Attorney in Alameda County, California, before moving on to become the District Attorney of San Francisco in 2003.
In 2010, Harris was elected Attorney General of California, becoming the first woman and the first Black American to hold the position. During her time as Attorney General, Harris earned a reputation for being tough on crime, but also for advocating for criminal justice reform. She also worked to protect the rights of consumers and the environment, and helped secure a $20 billion settlement from the nation’s five largest banks over mortgage abuses during the 2008 financial crisis.
In 2016, Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate, representing California. As a senator, she served on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Committee on the Budget. Harris was known for her tough questioning of Trump administration officials during Senate hearings, and for her advocacy for immigrant rights, gun control, and criminal justice reform.
In August 2020, Harris was selected by Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to be his running mate in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Harris became the first Black American and first South Asian American woman to be selected as a major party's vice-presidential nominee. Harris’s selection was seen as a historic moment for women and people of color in American politics.
During the campaign, Harris was a vocal critic of President Trump’s policies and rhetoric, and advocated for policies to address the COVID-19 pandemic, racial justice, and climate change. In November 2020, Harris and Biden were elected as the President and Vice President of the United States, defeating incumbent President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
As Vice President, Harris has taken on a number of key issues, including addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, promoting vaccination, and advocating for voting rights and immigration reform. She has also used her platform to advocate for women's rights, including access to reproductive healthcare and equal pay for equal work.
Overall, Kamala Harris has had a long and successful career in law and politics, breaking barriers and advocating for issues that are important to women, people of color, and marginalized communities. As the first woman and person of color to hold the office of Vice President, she has already made history, and will likely continue to do so in the years to come.
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