10 questions · Society & Everyday
Kamala Harris is born in Oakland, California, in 1964: the daughter of an Indian-born cancer researcher and a Jamaican-born economics professor. This multicultural background shapes her as much as the politically engaged milieu of her childhood in the civil-rights era. She studies law and embarks on a career as a prosecutor. Step by step, Harris rises through California's justice system: she becomes District Attorney of San Francisco and later Attorney General of California, the most populous US state. In 2017 she moves into federal politics, taking a seat in the US Senate as a senator for California: only the second Black woman ever to serve in that chamber. In 2020 the presidential candidate Joe Biden chooses her as his running mate. With their election victory, Kamala Harris becomes Vice President of the United States in 2021: making history three times over: as the first woman, the first Black person and the first person of South Asian descent to hold the office. When President Biden does not seek re-election in 2024, Harris becomes the Democratic presidential nominee: the first Black woman and first American of South Asian descent to be nominated for the highest office by a major party. She loses the November 2024 election to Donald Trump. Whatever the outcome, her rise remains a milestone: a woman with an immigrant story who reached the top of the US government.
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first female US Vice President
She was also the first Black person and first person of South Asian descent in the role.
💡 Did you know? In 2021 Harris became the first woman and first person of colour to serve as US Vice President.
Indian-Jamaican heritage
She was born in Oakland, California.
💡 Did you know? The daughter of an Indian scientist and a Jamaican economist, Harris embodies the diversity of the US.
prosecutor
She later became Attorney General of California.
💡 Did you know? Harris began as a prosecutor and built a reputation as a tenacious lawyer before moving into politics.
Attorney General of California
Before that she was District Attorney of San Francisco.
💡 Did you know? As California's Attorney General, Harris was the top law-enforcement officer of the most populous US state.
US senator (California)
From 2017 Harris represented California in the US Senate: only the second Black woman ever in that chamber.
💡 Did you know? She was only the second Black woman ever to serve in the US Senate.
Joe Biden
Biden chose her as his running mate in 2020.
💡 Did you know? Alongside Joe Biden, Harris won the 2020 election and was sworn in as Vice President.
2024 presidential nominee
She was the first Black woman and first American of South Asian descent nominated for president by a major party.
💡 Did you know? After Biden withdrew in 2024, Harris stepped in at short notice as the Democratic presidential candidate.
Donald Trump
Despite the defeat, her rise to the top of government remains a milestone.
💡 Did you know? In the 2024 election Harris lost to Donald Trump, who thereby returned to the White House.
Foto: The White House · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris (b. 1964) is an American politician who served from 2021 to 2025 as the first female Vice President of the US.
💡 Did you know? In 2024 Harris ran as the Democratic presidential candidate but lost the election to Donald Trump.
1964
Born: 20 October 1964 in Oakland, California
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