Kamala Harris

#asianpacificamericanheritagemonthProfilesApril 24, 2023

United States Vice President Kamala Harris is the first woman, the first African American, and the first Indian American to serve in that role.

Born in Oakland and raised in the Bay Area, Harris began her career as a prosecutor, working as a Deputy District Attorney in Alameda County and San Francisco before being elected as the Attorney General of California in 2010, where she focused on issues such as consumer protection, civil rights, and criminal justice reform. She also played a key role in the legal battle to overturn Proposition 8, a state ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage.

In 2016, Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate, where she was a vocal advocate for issues such as immigration reform, healthcare reform, and gun control. After running for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, Harris was selected by the eventual nominee, Joe Biden, as his running mate in the general election. They were sworn into office on January 20, 2021.