10 Things You Need To Know About Kamala Harris
Breaking the VP glass ceiling: Kamala Harris is the first person of color and first woman to have been elected as Vice President of the United States
She broke barriers, and found the spot that was meant for her. Kamala Harris is the first woman and the first Black and Asian-American to have been elected Vice President of the United States.
Along with president-elect Joe Biden, the two emerged victorious in a tight presidential race after an insurmountable lead in the swing state of Pennsylvania.
It was a sweet victory for Kamala, despite having stepped down from the Democratic Presidential nomination race last December 2019, only to be invited by Biden in August 2020 as his vice presidential running mate.
This won’t be the first milestone for California senator Kamala who was also the second African-American woman and first South Asian-American senator in history. Kamala is the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, whose mother Shyamala, was also known as an activist, and breast cancer researcher.
Here’s what you should know about Kamala:
All About Kamala Harris
All About Kamala Harris
She is a child of immigrants
Her full name, Kamala Devi Harris was born on October 24, 1964 to immigrants—her mother Shyamala from India, who was an activist and breast-cancer researcher, and her father, Donald from Jamaica, who an economics professor in Stanford University. In Sanskrit, her name means “lotus.”
Photo Credit: @servedfresh
Early in her career, she worked as a prosecutor for child sexual assault cases
She graduated from Howard University and the University of California Hastings College of Law. She then began her career in Alameda County District Attorney’s Office before she was recruited to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office under Louise Renne, where she was chief of the Community and Neighborhood Division. She specialized in prosecuting child sexual assault cases.
Photo Credit: @kamalaharris
A woman of many firsts
Before she was elected vice president, she was the first Black woman to be elected district attorney of San Francisco in 2004, and the first woman, first Black and Asian-American to become California’s attorney general in 2011. She would often call herself a “progressive prosecutor.”
Photo Credit: @alessiamarcuzzi
Running for President
She ran a campaign for president but dropped out of the race in December 2019 due to lack of funds. She sent a memo saying: “my campaign for president simply doesn’t have the financial resources we need to continue.” She came in strong in the early debates, but lacked the push and it showed in the succeeding polls.
Photo Credit: @kamalaharris
Choice of Biden
Joe Biden announced his choice of VP and running mate Kamala Harris early this August, in an email. “I’ve decided that Kamala Harris is the best person to help me take this fight to Trump and Mike Pence and then to lead this nation starting in January 2021,” said Biden. Before announcing her selection, Biden had previously committed to choosing a female, shortlisting 11 women, before finally announcing Harris as his choice after a rigorous selection process.
Photo Credit: @kamalaharris Instagram
Supported by the progressives
Senator Bernie Sanders, who once ran for President, approved of Biden’s choice of running mate. “She understands what it takes to stand up for working people, fight for health care for all and take down the most corrupt administration in history,” he tweeted.
Her platform is very liberal
She is against racial discrimination, participating in the protests in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death under police custody; and supported Jacob Blake after the shooting. As a person of color, she has called for creating safe and healthier communities for them; and is against gun violence, calling off the ban on assault weapons and strengthening background checks. She is also pro-abortion, calling for the right of women to make decisions about their bodies.
She is married to a fellow lawyer
Kamala is married to Douglas Emhoff, who is now about to become the nation’s first Second Gentleman. The two met on a blind date, he proposed to her after a year of dating, and they got married in 2015. He is an entertainment lawyer and often represents high profile individuals and corporations, such as the ad agency TBWA for a case over the rights to the chihuahua featured in Taco Bell’s “Yo Quiero Taco Bell” ads.
She has a blended family
Her husband, Douglas Emhoff was married before, and they had two children, Cole and Ella. Harris is said to be close to the children, and they refer to her as “Momala.” This is because “Cole, Ella, and I agreed that we didn’t like the term ‘stepmom.”
She wrote a memoir and a children’s book
She has a memoir entitled The Truths We Hold: An American Journey and also wrote a children’s book Superheroes Are Everywhere. Published in January 2019, the book talks about her upbringing and journey as a progressive prosecutor, sharing details about some of her experiences in crisis management and leadership.
She wrote a memoir and a children’s book
'Superheroes Are Everywhere'
Lead photo from @kamalaharris
Top Stories
Metro Beauty Picks Of The Week
BEAUTYMar 14, 2023
