Kamala D. Harris, the first female Vice President of the United States, was born in Oakland, California, to parents who emigrated from Jamaica and India. She graduated from Howard University and Hastings College of Law, University of California. She was elected Vice President after having devoted her life to public service—she was elected District Attorney of San Francisco, California Attorney General, and served in the United States Senate.
District Attorney of San Francisco
Vice President Harris joined the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office in 1990, where she primarily prosecuted child sexual assault cases. She then worked as a managing attorney in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.
In 2003, she was appointed District Attorney of San Francisco, wherein she created a commendable program that allowed first-time offenders to find employment after earning a high school degree.
California Attorney General
In 2010, Kamala Harris was elected California’s Attorney General, where she oversaw the largest US state justice department. She established the state’s first Bureau of Children’s Justice and several never-seen-before reforms that ensured more accountability and transparency in the criminal justice system.
US Senator
Kamala Harris was sworn in as a Senator in 2017. As a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee member, she called for better protection for DREAMers and better living conditions at immigrant detention facilities.
During her time in the US Senate, Vice President Harris championed legislation to combat hunger, address the climate crisis as a Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works member, reform cash bail, improve maternal healthcare, and provide rent relief.
On August 11, 2020, Kamala D. Harris accepted Joe Biden’s invitation to become his running mate and help bring the nation together. On August 19, 2020, Vice President Harris said, “At every step of the way, I’ve been guided by the words I spoke from the first time I stood in a courtroom: Kamala Harris, for the people.” Kamala Harris is the first woman, the first South Asian American, and the first Black American to be elected Vice President.