Kamala Harris

Background

Kamala Devi Harris is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and first Asian American U.S. vice president, and the highest-ranking female and Asian American official in U.S. history. Harris was born on October 20, 1964 in Oakland, California. She is the daughter of immigrants - her father was born in Jamaica and her mother was born in India. After high school, Harris attended Howard University, a historically Black college in Washington, D.C. She then received her law degree from the University of California Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. Harris began her career in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office in 1990. In 2003, she was elected as the District Attorney of the City and County of San Francisco, becoming the first person of color to hold that position. She served two terms as district attorney before being elected as the Attorney General of California in 2010, the first woman, first African American, and first South Asian American to hold that office. In 2017, Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate, representing California. She was the second African American woman and the first South Asian American senator in history. As a senator, Harris established herself as a rising star in the Democratic Party, known for her tough questioning of Trump administration officials during congressional hearings. In 2020, Harris was selected by Joe Biden to be his running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket. They won the election, and on January 20, 2021, Harris was sworn in as the 49th vice president of the United States. She made history as the first woman, first African American, and first Asian American to hold the office. As vice president, Harris has focused on issues like criminal justice reform, voting rights, and economic empowerment for marginalized communities. She has also taken on key diplomatic roles, including leading the administration's efforts to address the root causes of migration from Central America. Despite some criticism over her record as a prosecutor, Harris remains a popular and influential figure in the Democratic Party. She is widely seen as a potential future presidential candidate, though she has not yet announced any plans for another run. Kamala Harris's historic rise to the vice presidency has cemented her status as one of the most prominent political figures of her generation.