All about Kamala Harris: Things you should know about the American vice-president
Kamala Harris is a lady whose biography is full of firsts. She is the first Black woman to be elected district attorney in California history and the first woman to be California's attorney general. Harris was also the first Indian American senator and the first Black woman and Asian American US vice president.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Profile summary
- Who is Kamala Harris?
- Fast facts about Kamala Harris
- FAQs
Kamala Harris is an American politician, attorney, and the 49th Vice President of the United States. She was inaugurated on 20 January 2021 and served under President Joe Biden. Harris made history as the first female vice president, the highest-ranking female official in US history, and the first vice president of African-American, South Asian, and Caribbean descent.
Profile summary
| Real name | Kamala Devi Harris |
| Gender | Female |
| Date of birth | 20 October 1964 |
| Age | 60 years old (as of 2024) |
| Zodiac sign | Libra |
| Place of birth | Oakland, California, United States |
| Current residence | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Mixed |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Height | 5'4" (163 cm) |
| Hair colour | Black |
| Eye colour | Brown |
| Mother | Shyamala Gopalan Harris |
| Father | Donald J. Harris |
| Siblings | 1 |
| Marital status | Married |
| Spouse | Douglas Emhoff |
| University | UC Law San Francisco (1986–1989)Howard University (1986)Westmount High School (1981) |
| Profession | American politician and attorney |
| Net worth | $8 million |
| X (formerly Twitter) | @KamalaHarris |
| @vp, @kamalaharris |
Who is Kamala Harris?
Kamala Harris is a prominent politician and attorney who has been the 49th and current vice president of the United States since 2021 under President Joe Biden. She was born on 20 October 1964 in Oakland, California.
Who are Kamala Harris' parents?
The Democrat was born to two immigrant parents, an Indian-born mother and a Jamaican-born father. Kamala Harris' mother, Shyamala Gopalan, is a cancer researcher, civil rights activist and daughter of an Indian diplomat.
Her father, Donald J. Harris, is an emeritus professor of Economics at Stanford University. Kamala Harris' parents divorced when she was seven years old, and her Hindu single mother primarily raised her and her younger sister Maya on the top floor of a yellow duplex in Berkeley.
Kamala grew up with an Indian heritage and joined her mother on her visits to India. Her mother adopted Oakland's Black culture and immersed Kamala and her younger sister Maya in it.
In her 336-page memoir, The Truths We Hold: An American Journey, Kamala reveals,
My mother understood very well that she was raising two black daughters...She knew that her adopted homeland would see Maya and me as black girls and she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident, proud black women."
The Kamala Harris family even went to a Black Baptist church and a Hindu temple. Another interesting fact about her childhood is that she was 13 and living in Montreal when Kamala and her sister Maya led a demonstration.
They protested in front of their apartment building. The demonstration was against a policy banning kids from playing on the lawn.
What did Kamala Harris' mother tell her?
Kamala Harris credits a valuable lesson from her mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, as a critical influence on her career. Speaking on the Call Her Daddy podcast last week, Harris shared that from an early age, her mother encouraged her to reflect on conflicts and consider how she might have contributed to or resolved them.
She discussed this insight during her conversation with host Alex Cooper.
Every time I came home with a problem, the first thing my mother would do … [is ask] ‘What did you do?’ I realized she was actually teaching me to think about where you had agency in that moment and think about what you had the choice to do or not to do.
Harris explained on the podcast that she applied her mother's teachings to her career as a prosecutor, using her voice to advocate for those who lacked control over their circumstances.
It was really about wanting to protect the most vulnerable, and where they did not have the power … because they were the subject of an imbalance of power. A lot of the work that I’ve done has been wanting to restore, to the extent that I can play a role in, their right to have justice.
What religion is Kamala Harris?
Kamala Harris identifies as a Christian and is a member of the Baptist faith. She was raised and exposed to both Christian and Hindu traditions.
Her mother is a Hindu from India, while her father, Donald Harris, is of Christian Jamaican descent. Kamala embraced Christianity as her primary faith and is an active Third Baptist Church of San Francisco member.
Source: Original
Kamala Harris' education
She first attended Thousand Oaks Elementary School. When she was 12 years old, her mother moved the family to Canada and started performing research work at the Jewish General Hospital and teaching at McGill University.
Kamala and Maya then attended school in Montreal for five years. When they arrived, they attended the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges school on Côte-des-Neiges Rd. because their mother wanted them to learn French.
Kamala attended Westmount High School for her high school education, where she graduated in 1981. Hugh Kwok, who runs the Wingho Auto Classique dealership, attended Westmount High. In his description of high school Kamala, he describes her as a trendy student involved in the student association and many different clubs.
Recalling their time in High school, Hugh revealed,
Kamala would see me carrying all my bags and she’d always have a supportive word for me...She’d say: ‘Go for it Hugh!” That’s her character. She always encouraged me to stick with my dreams. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t keep in touch. I don’t follow politics, but you can bet I’ll be watching Nov. 3.
She went to college in the United States of America. She attended Howard University, where she majored in Political Science and Economics. After four years at Howard University, she graduated in 1986.
The vice president describes her time at Howard Uni. as one of the most formative experiences of her life. She then went on to earn her law degree at the University of California, Hastings, graduating in 1989.
Career
The vice president began her career in the Alameda County District Attorney's office, where she focused on prosecuting child sexual assault cases.
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In 2003, she became the District Attorney for San Francisco. After two terms in office, she was elected as the first woman and the first Black person to serve as California's attorney general. She held the position from 2011 to 2017.
As San Francisco's DA, she started a program to give first-time drug offenders second chances, including the opportunity to earn a high school degree and find a job.
In her nearly two terms as attorney general, Kamala gained a reputation for being one of the Democratic Party's rising stars. She later used this momentum to propel her election as California's senator in 2016.
In 2017, she was sworn in as a United States Senator for California, the second African-American woman and first South Asian-American senator in history.
She served on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Committee on the Budget.
Kamala Harris' 2020 White House bid
At the beginning of 2019, the then-USA senator launched her presidential candidacy to a crowd of over 20,000 in Oakland, California.
Kamala's bid was met with initial enthusiasm, which later dwindled when:
- She failed to articulate a clear rationale for her campaign.
- She gave muddled answers to questions in crucial policy areas, such as healthcare.
- She was unable to capitalize on the clear high point of her candidacy - a debate performance that showed off her prosecutorial skills.
She also tried to walk the fine line between the progressive and moderate wings of the Democratic Party but ended up appealing to neither. She eventually ended her candidacy on 3 December 2019, before the first Democratic contest in Iowa.
In March 2020, she endorsed Joe Biden, and in August, Biden announced that he had picked her to be his running mate. This makes her the first black woman and South Asian American to become a vice-presidential candidate.
Becoming the US vice president
On 7 November, four days after the US election, Biden secured the 270 electoral votes he needed to capture the US presidency. Biden's eventual electoral vote total was 306 to Trump's 232. Biden also won the popular vote by more than seven million votes.
In the weeks that followed, Trump and other Republicans challenged the election results, claiming voter fraud. Even though several lawsuits were filed, no evidence was provided to support the allegations, and many cases were dismissed.
By early December, all the US states had certified the election results, and the process then moved to Congress for final certification. Shortly after the proceedings began on 6 January 2021, Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol.
It took several hours to secure the building, but Biden and Kamala were eventually certified as the 2020 US election winners. On 18 January, Kamala officially resigned from the Senate.
Two days later, amid an incredible security presence, she was sworn in as vice president of the United States of America.
Source: Getty Images
In her inauguration speech, she said:
A great experiment takes great determination. The will to do the work, and then the wisdom to keep refining, keep tinkering, keep perfecting. The same determination is being realized in America today. I see it in the scientists who are transforming the future.
I see it in the parents who are nurturing generations to come, in the innovators and educators, in everyone, everywhere, who is building a better life for themselves, their families, and their communities.
This too, is American aspiration. This is what President Joe Biden has called upon us to summon now. The courage to see beyond crisis. To do what is hard, to do what is good, to unite, to believe in ourselves, believe in our country, believe in what we can do together.
Kamala Harris' policies
The US vice president has taken a front seat in condemning police brutality in the US. On talk shows, she calls for changes to police practices across the USA, and on X (formerly Twitter), she calls for the arrest of the cops who killed Breonna Taylor.
She became the lead advocate for social justice reform following the death of George Floyd, and she frequently speaks about the need to dismantle systemic racism. The vice president says that her identity makes her uniquely suited to represent those on the margins.
2024 presidential campaign
In April 2023, President Joe Biden announced his bid for reelection with Vice President Kamala Harris as his running mate. However, concerns about Biden's age and health, which had persisted throughout his first term, intensified following his performance in the first presidential debate on 27 June 2024.
On 21 July, Biden suspended his campaign and endorsed Harris as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate. Harris subsequently received support from prominent figures such as Jimmy Carter, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack and Michelle Obama, and the Congressional Black Caucus.
Kamala Harris' campaign broke records, raising $81 million in small-dollar donations within 24 hours of her announcement. Harris secured the Democratic nomination on 5 August 2024 through a virtual roll call of delegates.
The following day, she selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice-presidential running mate. On 22 August, during the Democratic National Convention's final day, Harris formally accepted the party's nomination for president.
She participated in a highly anticipated debate with Donald Trump on 10 September, widely perceived as a win for Harris. Later in her campaign, she delivered a compelling closing argument speech on 30 October at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C.
Despite her historic candidacy, which could have made her the first female, Asian-American, and second African-American president of the United States, Harris lost the 2024 presidential election to Trump, who won both the Electoral College and the popular vote.
The day after the election, she delivered a gracious concession speech at Howard University, her alma mater. She acknowledged the outcome and expressed gratitude for the support she received.
Did Kamala Harris work at McDonald's?
During the presidential campaigns between Donald Trump vs Kamala Harris, Trump alleged, without providing evidence, that Harris had never worked at the fast-food chain she often mentioned.
However, Harris's campaign and a friend confirmed that she did. Harris frequently highlighted her experience working at the restaurant during her university years in the 1980s, stating it influenced her commitment to supporting working families.
Part of the reason I even talk about having worked at McDonald’s is because there are people who work at McDonald’s in our country who are trying to raise a family. I think part of the difference between me and my opponent includes our perspective on the needs of the American people and what our responsibility then is to meet those needs.
McDonald's reportedly stated that it could not verify the claims made by either side, as its employment records do not go back far enough to confirm whether the vice president worked there during the time in question.
We and our franchisees don’t have records for all positions dating back to the early 80s.
When The Telegraph visited McDonald's branches where Harris claimed to have worked, staff reportedly said they had been instructed not to discuss whether she had ever been employed there.
Source: Getty Images
What is Kamala Harris' net worth?
According to Forbes, Kamala Harris' net worth is estimated to be around $8 million, thanks to her earnings from her legal career, political positions, and book deals.
She and her husband, Douglas Emhoff, have also wisely invested in real estate, further adding to their wealth. In 2019, Harris was one of the highest-earning Democratic candidates.
Who is Kamala Harris' husband?
On 22 August 2014, Kamala Harris married lawyer Douglas Emhoff, a Brooklyn-born litigator and partner at DLA Piper Law Firm. Their relationship began through a mutual friend, P.R. consultant Chrisette Hudlin, who introduced them.
After nearly a year of dating, the couple got engaged on 27 March 2014. Four months later, they tied the knot in a private ceremony at the Santa Barbara Courthouse. Harris' sister, Maya Harris West, officiated the wedding.
Harris previously shared with People that the two qualities she admires most about Emhoff are his sense of humour and his patience, which she especially values during stressful times.
We're talking about the free world. These are serious times, and the challenges are incredibly serious, but we don't take ourselves too seriously in the context of our relationship. You just have to flow and know what's really important.
What is Kamala Harris' husband's ethnicity?
Kamala Harris' husband, Douglas Emhoff, is of European Jewish ethnicity. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Emhoff is the son of Jewish parents, Michael Emhoff and Barbara Emhoff.
Doug has two kids with his ex-wife, Kerstin. His son Cole graduated from Colorado College, while his younger daughter Ella studies at Parsons School of Design.
Fast facts about Kamala Harris
- Her parents met at UC Berkeley while pursuing graduate studies. Her mother chose Kamala as a tribute to her Indian heritage—Kamala means "lotus."
- As a child, Kamala Harris attended a Black Baptist church and a Hindu temple, reflecting her multicultural upbringing.
- One of her hallmark achievements during her tenure as attorney general was establishing Open Justice, a platform promoting transparency in the criminal justice system.
- Her most passionate online supporters became known as the "KHive," a name inspired by Beyoncé's devoted fanbase, the "Beyhive."
- A passionate cook, she often saves recipes from the New York Times cooking section.
- Her mornings typically begin around 6 a.m. with a 30-minute workout, often on the elliptical or at SoulCycle.
- Her favourite books include Native Son by Richard Wright, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, and The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan.
FAQs
- Who is Kamala Harris? She is an American politician and attorney who has served as the 49th vice president of the United States since 2021, alongside President Joe Biden.
- Who are Kamala Harris' parents? Her mother is Shyamala Gopalan, and her father is Donald Harris.
- What is Kamala Harris' age and height? The famous politician is 60 years old as of 2024. She is 5 feet 4 inches or (163 cm).
- What is Kamala Harris' nationality? She is American by nationality. She was born in Oakland, California, USA.
- What is Kamala Harris' ethnicity? She is of mixed ethnicity. She was born to immigrant parents, an Indian-born mother and a Jamaican-born father.
- Is Kamala Harris' husband the second husband? No, he holds the title of Second Gentleman of the United States, which denotes his role as the vice president's spouse.
- Does Kamala Harris have children? No, she has no children of her own. She is the stepmom to Doug's kids, who affectionately refer to her as 'Momala'.
Kamala Harris has broken multiple barriers as a woman of colour in a predominantly white-male political landscape. Joe Biden described her as "a fearless fighter for the little guy and one of the country's finest public servants." She is an inspiration to many young women with political ambitions.
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