Kamala Harris holds the esteemed position of Vice President of the United States. She is a woman of many firsts – the first woman Vice President, the first Black individual, and the first Asian American to occupy this office.
Who is Kamala Harris?
Kamala Harris’ journey to vice presidency is a story of tremendous determination and resolve. After completing her education at Howard University and the Hastings College of the Law at the University of California, Kamala made her mark in the Californian legal framework, and emerged as the state attorney general in 2010. She etched her place in history as the second African American woman and the first South Asian American to secure a seat in the U.S. Senate following the 2016 elections. While her run for the 2020 U.S. Presidential election came to a halt before the end of the year, she was chosen as Joe Biden’s vice presidential running mate in August 2020. The duo secured victory in the November 2020 elections.
A Glimpse into Kamala Harris
Born into a multicultural family on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, Kamala Devi Harris grew up in a largely African American neighborhood in Berkeley. Her Indian mother, Shyamala, and Jamaican father, Donald, exposed her to a rich blend of cultural experiences. She was actively part of civil rights demonstrations from an early age. Her mother, a prominent breast-cancer researcher, and her father, a professor of economics at Stanford University, divorced when she was seven. Kamala moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with her mother and younger sister, Maya, at the age of 12. Here, she picked up some French and exhibited her knack for leadership by arranging a protest against a property owner who denied access to children in the neighborhood.
Kamala Harris Educational Journey
While attending Westmount High School in Quebec, Kamala co-founded a dance group. On moving back to the United States, she attended Howard University in Washington, D.C, where she was an active participant in the liberal arts student council and debate team and graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and Economics. She continued her education at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, earning her J.D. in 1989.
The Beginnings of a Promising Career
Kamala Harris was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1990 and started her legal career as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County. Her career graph saw an upward trajectory, as she became the managing attorney of the Career Criminal Unit in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office in 1998. She was then made the head of its Community and Neighborhood Division in 2000. During this period, she played a pivotal role in establishing the state’s first Bureau of Children’s Justice.
San Francisco’s Chief Prosecutor
Harris embarked on her journey in public office by winning against Terence Hallinan, her erstwhile employer, to become the district attorney of San Francisco in 2003. During her tenure, she initiated the “Back on Track” program that successfully reduced reoffending rates by extending vocational training and educational opportunities to minor offenders. Despite her achievements, she faced opposition for staying true to her campaign promise by not advocating for capital punishment for a gang member found guilty of murdering police officer Isaac Espinoza in 2004.
Attorney General of California
In 2010, Harris further climbed up the political ladder by narrowly defeating Steve Cooley, Los Angeles County District Attorney, to become the Attorney General of California, the first African American woman to do so. She made her presence felt by opting out of a settlement deal with the top five national financial corporations over inappropriate mortgage practices, later securing a settlement five times the initial offer. Harris also made headlines for refusing to support Proposition 8, a controversial 2008 ballot measure deemed unconstitutional by federal courts. Other notable achievements include winning a lawsuit against the misleading marketing of Corinthian Colleges and relentlessly pursuing the classified ad service Backpage.
Kamala Harris as U.S. Senate Representative
Harris secured a seat in the U.S. Senate from California in 2016, making her the second African American woman and the first South Asian American to do so. Serving on several committees, she has advocated for the single-payer healthcare system and legislation that promotes accessibility to urban recreational spaces and offers financial relief amidst rising housing costs. In addition, she gained recognition for her sharp interrogation of Brett Kavanaugh and Jeff Sessions during Judiciary Committee hearings.
2020 Presidential Election
Harris formally announced her candidacy for the 2020 Presidential Election on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in an interview on Good Morning America. As a leading Democratic contender, she faced off against candidates like Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand to dislodge President Donald Trump after his first term. Harris officially launched her campaign a week later before a large crowd in Oakland, California, maintaining her strong position in the Democratic polls despite several controversies. She made a significant impact during the first Democratic primary debate, and soon became a focus of criticism in the subsequent debate.
As 2019 ended, Kamala Harris witnessed her popularity in the polls decline. To regain her footing, she voiced strong calls for the impeachment of then President Trump regarding his Ukraine connections and championed women’s reproductive rights. However, internal disputes within her campaign team over strategy and leadership roles became evident, as highlighted in a publicly exposed resignation letter from her operations director via The New York Times. Harris eventually withdrew from the presidential race in early December 2019.
Biden’s Choice for Vice President
Fast forward to August 11, 2020, and then presidential candidate Joe Biden selected Harris as running mate. Praising Harris as “a fearless defender of the underprivileged, and one of the nation’s top public servants”, Biden recalled the incredible work she did as Attorney General with his late son Beau. He capped off his announcement stating his pride in having her as his running mate in his campaign. Harris expressed her honor in being chosen as the nominee for Vice President of their party and pledged her commitment to make Biden the next President.
Harris made history by being the first Black woman and individual of South Asian descent to be nominated by a significant party for a national office. She is also the fourth woman to be included on a major party’s presidential ticket.
The Vice Presidential Debate of 2020
The vice presidential debate held on October 7, 2020, a week after an intense debate between Biden and Trump, was considerably more polite. Nonetheless, Harris remained assertive, criticizing the administration’s response to Covid-19 which had resulted in over 210,000 American deaths at that point, and the Republicans’ hurried confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. Harris also countered Pence’s claims that Biden would prohibit fracking and immediately increase taxes and defended her own record as Attorney General of California.
Victory in the 2020 Election
On November 7, 2020, Biden was declared the 46th president-elect, four days post-election day, following his win in Pennsylvania. This made Harris the first-ever female vice president and the first person of Black and South Asian heritage to occupy this role.
During a victory celebration in Wilmington, Delaware, an exultant Harris, dressed in a white pantsuit as a tribute to the suffragettes, extended her gratitude to the voters, her running mate, and her family, with a special mention to her mother. “She might not have envisioned this exact moment,” the Vice President stated. “But she had a deep belief in an America where a moment like this could be a reality. So, I am thinking of her and the generations of women – Black, Asian, White, Latina, Native American – who throughout our nation’s history have made this moment possible. Women who fought and sacrificed immensely for equality, freedom, and justice for all.”
The formal confirmation of Biden’s win over President Trump in the 2020 presidential election came on December 14, 2020, when all 538 members of the Electoral College cast their votes. Biden received 306 votes compared to Trump’s 232.
