Birthday – October 20

Who is Kamala Harris?

Kamala Harris is the 49th Vice President of the United States of America and the first female vice president in US history. She is the highest-ranking female official in the current United States Administration. She is also the first African-American, and the first Asian-American vice president of the US.

Five Facts about Kamala Harris 

• She is California's first female District Attorney and Attorney General.
• Kamala's father, Donald Harris, is a Jamaican-American student who came to the US in 1966.
• Kamala Harris ran for the Democratic party's presidential nominee in 2020. Joe Biden won this bid but chose Kamala as his Vice President.
• She is married to Doug Craig Emhoff and has 2 stepchildren, Cole and Ella.
• Kamala has focused on criminal justice reform during her time as Senator.

Inspirational Quotes from Kamala Harris

BREAKING THE BARRIER

"My mother would look at me, and she'd say, 'Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not. That's why breaking those barriers is worth it. As much as anything else, it is also to create that path for those who will come after us."

BEING THE "FIRST"

"I hope that by being a 'first,' I inspire young people to pursue their dreams. The number of times I've heard the word 'no'—or that something can't be done—in my life is too many to count. I'm honored to be considered a "first," but I always think about the people who came before and paved the way for me to get where I am today. From Rosa Parks to Shirley Chisholm to Congressman John Lewis, I stand on the shoulders of so many great men and women before me."

ON AMBITION

 "To the children of our country, regardless of your gender, our country has sent you a clear message: Dream with ambition, lead with conviction, and see yourself in a way that others might not see you, simply because they've never seen it before."

Kamala Harris Biography

Early Life

Kamala Devi Harris was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California. Her parents are Donald Harris and Shyamala Gopalan, who are both prestigious in their respective fields. Her father is an economist and a Stanford University professor emeritus, while her mother is an Indian American who graduated with a Ph.D. in nutrition and endocrinology. Her research on the progesterone receptor gene led to an advancement against breast cancer. She has a sister named Maya, who is 3 years younger than her.

She went to kindergarten at Thousand Oaks Elementary School in Northern Berkeley. When Kamala was twelve, her family moved to Montreal, Quebec, when her mother got accepted at a research and teaching position there. In Quebec, she continued her studies and finished high school in 1981.

She returned to the US to pursue a degree in political science and economics at Howard University. She went on to law school at the University of California, Hastings College of Law, where she graduated in 1989 with a Juris Doctor.

Career

Kamala Harris started as a deputy district attorney at Alameda County in California. After 8 years, she was recruited as an assistant district attorney in San Francisco, where she became chief of the Career Criminal Division. In 2000, she took a job at San Francisco City Hall, where she worked in the Family and Children's Services Division.

In 2002, Kamala ran for District Attorney and won. With that win, she became the first person of color elected as San Francisco's district attorney. She went unopposed, which secured her win for a second term in 2007.

She decided to run for California's Attorney General in 2010 and won again. This win made huge history by being the state's many firsts – first female, the first African American, and the first Asian American- to hold the Attorney general's office ever. She won again for her second term in 2014.    

In 2017, she won California's senatorial seat, where then-vice president, Joe Biden swore her in. In 2019, she announced her intention to run for President under the Democratic party but conceded to Joe Biden. With her impressive track record and massive supporters, she was invited as Joe Biden's running mate in the 2020 elections. With Joe Biden's victory, Kamala Harris became the new Vice President.

After learning that they won, her phone call to Joe Biden went viral when she said, "We did it. We did it, Joe. You're going to be the next President of the United States."

Kamala Harris was officially inaugurated as the 49th Vice President on January 20, 2021. Together with President Biden, they promise to prioritize getting more Covid19 vaccines, boosting the economy, more opportunities for people of color and supporting the fight against climate change.