Kamala Harris

Biography

Kamala Devi Harris was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, to Shyamala Gopalan, a biomedical scientist from India, and Donald Harris, an economics professor from Jamaica. Her parents met while pursuing graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, during the civil rights movement. Following her parents' divorce when she was seven, Harris was raised primarily by her mother, who instilled in her a strong sense of justice and public service. She spent part of her childhood in Montreal, Canada, where her mother conducted research, attending F.A.C.E. School and later Westmount High School.

After returning to the United States, Harris enrolled at Howard University, a historically black institution in Washington, D.C., where she majored in political science and economics, graduating in 1986. During her time at Howard, she joined the debate team, served as a student government representative, and pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She then pursued her law degree at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings), earning her Juris Doctor in 1989.

Harris began her legal career in 1990 as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County, California, prosecuting cases involving gang violence, drug trafficking, and sexual abuse. In 1998, she was recruited by San Francisco District Attorney Terence Hallinan to lead the Career Criminal Division. Her prosecutorial work led to her election as San Francisco District Attorney in 2003, making her the first woman and first person of South Asian and African American descent to hold the position. During her tenure, she implemented programs focused on reducing recidivism and created initiatives to combat truancy.

In 2010, Harris was elected California Attorney General, becoming the first woman, first African American, and first person of South Asian descent to serve in this role. As the state's top law enforcement officer, she focused on consumer protection, environmental justice, and criminal justice reform. Her office secured significant settlements from major banks during the foreclosure crisis and defended California's marriage equality laws. In 2016, she was elected to the United States Senate, where she served on the Judiciary, Intelligence, Homeland Security, and Budget committees, gaining national attention for her questioning during high-profile hearings.

Harris launched her presidential campaign in January 2019 but withdrew from the race in December 2019 due to fundraising challenges and declining poll numbers. In August 2020, Joe Biden selected her as his running mate for the 2020 presidential election, making her the first woman of color on a major party's presidential ticket. Following their victory, she was inaugurated as the 49th Vice President of the United States on January 20, 2021, breaking multiple barriers as the first woman, first Black person, and first person of South Asian descent to hold the office.