Kamala Harris

Kamala Devi Harris has been the first at every stage of her career — first Black woman elected District Attorney of San Francisco, first Black woman elected Attorney General of California, first Black and first South Asian woman elected to the U.S. Senate from California, and first woman, first Black person, and first person of South Asian descent to serve as Vice President of the United States.

Born in Oakland, California, in 1964, Harris is the daughter of Shyamala Gopalan, a breast cancer researcher from India, and Donald Harris, an economist from Jamaica. She grew up attending both a Black Baptist church and a Hindu temple, navigating multiple cultural identities with a confidence that would define her career. She attended Howard University — where she pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority — and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

Harris's career in law enforcement was both groundbreaking and controversial. As San Francisco DA, she launched innovative programs like Back on Track, which reduced recidivism among nonviolent offenders. As Attorney General, she fought against banks during the foreclosure crisis. As Vice President under Joe Biden, she cast a record-breaking number of tie-breaking Senate votes and represented the administration on issues of voting rights, reproductive rights, and foreign policy. Her very presence in the office shattered a ceiling that had stood for 232 years.