KAMALA HARRIS

Kamala Harris is the first woman and the first person of African American and Asian American descent to hold the office of Vice President of the United States.

She was born in northern California to immigrant parents who met while getting their PhDs at the University of California, Berkeley. Her mother was a cancer researcher from India, and her father was an economist from Jamaica. Her parents regularly attended civil rights marches and events and brought Kamala along. Growing up during the Free Speech movement made a lasting impression on young Kamala, instilling in her a deep commitment to justice and advocacy.

She went on to attend Howard University in Washington, DC, as an undergraduate in 1982. She served as a first-year student representative and participated on the debate team. The global anti-apartheid movement was at its height in the mid-1980s, and in solidarity, she protested with other students in front of the South African Embassy. She graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science. She credits her undergraduate years at Howard for propelling her career in politics and public service.

"The thing that Howard taught me is that you can do any collection of things, and not one thing to the exclusion of the other." —Kamala Harris

Kamala returned to San Francisco to attend the University of California's College of Law, where she became comfortable pushing for greater recognition of marginalized communities within the law school and the legal profession. She organized pre-law conferences designed to attract Black college seniors and frequently led the response to acts of racism on campus. With other volunteers, she worked for increased awareness of the challenges people of color face in the legal profession, as well as the law's disparate impact on these marginalized communities.

When she graduated from law school, her family had some doubts about her decision to become a prosecutor. Many in her community questioned why she would join a system that had historically been used to oppress people of color. However, Kamala saw an opportunity to reform the system from within and to bring a different perspective to the prosecutor's office.
Later, Kamala's family and colleagues would understand why she made that decision as they witnessed the compassion she brought to the job.

Helping a woman with small children at home get released from jail was a pivotal moment that proved to her how much it mattered to have compassionate people working as prosecutors. It set her on her career path, and she had an offer for a deputy district attorney position waiting for her after graduation and the bar exam.

Throughout her career as a prosecutor, Harris focused on innovative approaches to criminal justice. She began her legal career in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office before moving to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office. In 2003, she was elected District Attorney of San Francisco, becoming the first woman and first African American to hold that position. During her tenure, she launched initiatives such as "Back on Track," a program that provided first-time drug offenders with job training and education instead of prison time. This program became a national model for criminal justice reform, demonstrating her belief that the justice system could be both tough on crime and smart about rehabilitation.

In 2010, Harris was elected Attorney General of California, making history once again as the first woman, the first African American, and the first Asian American to serve in that role. She served from 2011 to 2017, during which time she tackled issues ranging from the foreclosure crisis to environmental protection. She secured a significant settlement for California homeowners affected by the foreclosure crisis and created the Bureau of Children's Justice to address truancy and improve outcomes for vulnerable children. Her work as Attorney General earned her a national reputation as a progressive prosecutor who could balance accountability with compassion.

She was then elected to the U.S. Senate representing California, serving from 2017 to 2021. During her time in the Senate, she served on several key committees, including the Judiciary Committee and the Intelligence Committee. She gained national attention for her sharp questioning during high-profile hearings and her advocacy on issues such as healthcare, immigration reform, and criminal justice reform.

As Vice President, she has actively worked with President Joe Biden on a variety of issues, including women's health, border security, voting rights, and expanding access to broadband internet. She has also taken on the role of addressing the root causes of migration from Central America and has been a vocal advocate for reproductive rights. In 2024, following President Biden's decision not to seek reelection, Kamala Harris launched her campaign for president of the United States. On her first day running, she secured enough delegate commitments to win the Democratic nomination.

Throughout her career, Kamala Harris has demonstrated a commitment to public service rooted in the values instilled by her parents and her experiences growing up in the civil rights era. She understands the importance of social justice and how critical it is to a democracy for all voices and interests to be heard and represented.

Her journey from the daughter of immigrants to Vice President embodies the possibilities of American democracy and serves as an inspiration to many who see in her story a reflection of their own aspirations.