Kamala Harris

Kamala Devi Harris was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, to immigrant parents: biomedical scientist Shyamala Gopalan from Chennai, India, and economics professor Donald J. Harris from Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica. Raised with deep cultural roots in both African American and South Asian traditions, Harris attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she joined Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, before earning her law degree from UC Hastings College of the Law.

Harris began her prosecutorial career in the Alameda County District Attorney's office, subsequently winning election as District Attorney of San Francisco in 2003. In 2010, she was elected Attorney General of California, becoming the first woman, first African American, and first South Asian American to hold the post in the nation's most populous state. During the foreclosure crisis, she secured a historic $20 billion settlement for California homeowners and championed criminal justice reforms and environmental protections.

In 2016, Harris was elected to the United States Senate representing California, gaining national prominence for sharp, incisive questioning on the Senate Judiciary and Intelligence Committees. Chosen by Joe Biden as his running mate in August 2020, their ticket won the presidency with over 81 million votes. Sworn in on January 20, 2021, Harris shattered barriers as the first female, first Black, and first Indian-American Vice President, casting record-breaking tie-breaking votes in the U.S. Senate to pass landmark economic and climate legislation.