In August 2020, Kamala Harris was announced as Joe Biden's vice-presidential running mate
in the election. The announcement instantly pulled Harris further into the spotlight as
it signified a historic first for the country. Here's the stunning transformation of Kamala
Harris.
Harris was born in 1964 in California to immigrant parents, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Her mother was a scientist from India and her father was an economics professor originally
from Jamaica. The two met while studying at Berkeley, where they both took part in the
civil rights movement.
As Berkeleyside explained, Harris and her sister Maya grew up in a segregated Berkeley
due to racist housing policies, otherwise known as redlining. One Berkeley historian
described the community as:
"An integrated community with families of various races, both middle class and poorer
residents."
However, Harris' parents ensured that she was raised in a "counter-culture environment"
that embraced diversity. For instance, she and her sister were exposed to the civil rights
movement from an early age, which, Harris believes, helped her to become the politician
she is today.
Even before Harris was born, her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was both active in the civil rights
movement and interested in learning about Black culture, according to The Washington
Post. A family friend of Gopalan explained,
"Her Indian culture, she held on to that. But I think they grew up as Black children
who are now Black women."
In Harris' autobiography, The Truths We Hold, she explained her Black sense of identity
in more detail, saying,
"My mother understood very well that she was raising two black daughters. She knew that
her adopted homeland would see Maya and me as black girls, and she was determined to
make sure we would grow into confident, proud black women."
"She'd tell us, 'Don't sit around and complain about something. Do something.' So I did something."
Harris' parents divorced in 1971 when Harris was still fairly young. After the divorce,
Gopalan was granted custody of the couple's two daughters after a "hard-fought custody
battle," as Donald Harris revealed in an article for Jamaica Global Online.
Kamala stayed in touch with her father, and even visited his family in Jamaica. However,
the majority of her sense of self comes from her mother. According to Outlook, Harris once
said,
"She was the one most responsible for shaping us into the women we would become."
While Gopalan was always keen to give her daughters a strong foundation in Black culture,
she was also careful to raise them with an understanding of their Indian heritage. Harris
visited India where she was greatly influenced by her mother's father. In September 2019,
Harris wrote in an Instagram post,
"[Morning walks with him] made me who I am today and it’s why I’m proud to launch
our South Asians For The People community."
As a child, Harris was raised not only to appreciate her biracial heritage, but also
to understand the importance of education. Harris told Berkeleyside,
"Growing up, the first question asked of me at the dinner table was, 'What did you learn
at school today?'"
Harris went on to explain that her first-grade teacher made a significant impact on her approach
to learning. She revealed,
"Mrs. Wilson had a profound effect on all of us and was deeply committed to her students."
In a November 2019 Instagram post, Harris revealed that she kept in touch with Mrs.
Wilson and even invited her to her law school graduation. Earlier in 2019, the senator announced
on Twitter that she was part of a mural of women at Thousand Oaks Elementary School — where
she was once taught by her beloved first grade teacher.
Apparently, Harris got her start in politics at a very early age — and the story is captured
in a children's book. The book is by Meena Harris, Kamala's niece, and is called Kamala
and Maya's Big Idea — inspired by real events from Kamala and her sister Maya's childhood.
According to SheKnows, the two sisters had the idea to build a play area in the courtyard
of their apartment building. When the landlord refused, Kamala wrote a letter and organized
a troop of volunteers from the neighborhood children. Eventually, the girls were successful.
Maya spoke to Glamour about their shared childhood, saying,
"We were always taught to stand up for ourselves, to stand up for others, to speak up."
Harris eventually chose Howard University in Washington, D.C. for her undergraduate
degree. According to The Washington Post, Harris chose Howard because:
"She wanted to be surrounded by black students, black culture and black traditions at the
crown jewel of historically black colleges and universities."
It was there that Harris no longer felt part of a minority. She explained,
"When you're at [a historically Black college or university] and especially one with the
size and with the history of Howard University [...] it just becomes about you understanding
that there is a whole world of people who are like you. It's not just about there are
a few of us who many find each other."
At Howard, Harris joined Alpha Kappa Alpha, the oldest historically Black sorority. There,
she made friends with people who became "like family," as she told USA Today. As she once
said,
"Howard very directly influenced and reinforced — equally important — my sense of being
and meaning and reasons for being."
After graduating from Howard University, Harris went on to obtain another post-graduate degree
in law. She attended the University of California's Hastings College of Law, according to Forbes.
Harris once recalled how she was leading a sort of double life at the time. Apparently,
she was living with her sister Maya, who, at the time, was raising her newborn.
While Harris has no children of her own, this experience of working full-time and helping
to raise her niece may have helped her to understand the struggles that single mothers
face.
She gave Maya a shout out for Mother's Day on Instagram, saying,
"One invaluable gift she's given me is to show me what a phenomenal mother looks like."
Harris has always been proud of her Black heritage, but it took her a little while to
speak publicly about her mother's Indian heritage. As The Washington Post pointed out in 2019,
many of Harris' close friends didn't initially realize the Senator was of Indian descent.
The executive editor of India Abroad explained,
"It's only been in the last year or so that she's really come out and embraced [this part
of her heritage]."
One activist for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders also commented on how Harris began
to really embrace her Indian roots in 2018 and 2019, saying,
"I'm so glad she has discovered her Indian-ness. It's sudden, but I absolutely love that it's
happening. It's not something she has exhibited over the years."
Harris met fellow lawyer Douglas Emhoff on a blind date that was set up by a mutual friend,
according to NBC News. According to her autobiography, Emhoff was pretty much head over heels after
the first date. She explained,
"The morning after our first date, Doug emailed me with a list of his available dates for
the next couple of months."
According to Harris, Emhoff's email said,
"I'm too old to play games or hide the ball. I really like you, and I want to see if we
can make this work."
And it worked — in 2014, the couple got married. Harris went on to describe the multicultural
ceremony in her book, writing,
"In keeping with our respective Indian and Jewish heritage, I put a flower garland around
Doug's neck and he stomped on a glass."
When Harris and Emhoff got married in 2014, he already had two children from a previous
marriage, and Harris became their stepmother, as she explained to Elle. Cole and Ella, Emhoff's
children, were welcoming and friendly to Harris from the beginning. Harris shared,
"They are brilliant, talented, funny kids who have grown to be remarkable adults. I
was already hooked on Doug, but I believe it was Cole and Ella who reeled me in."
According to Harris, the children decided to call her "momala" instead of "stepmom."
"Certainly Vice President will be great, but Momala will always be the one that means the
most."
Over the years, the family has reportedly become incredibly tight-knit. Harris is now
friends with Emhoff's first wife, and they even used to attend Ella's swim meets and
basketball games together.
In terms of Harris' career, she's risen through the ranks pretty quickly. After becoming a
lawyer in 1990, she became an assistant district attorney in the Alameda County prosecutor's
office. In 2003, she became the district attorney of San Francisco, becoming the first Black
woman to ever have the role. In 2010, she won the election for California attorney general
by a margin of just 0.8 percent, according to Politico.
During her time as district attorney and attorney general, Harris received both praise and criticism
for her approach to the criminal justice system. As Vox pointed out, her prison diversion program
and her racial bias training program for police officers were one-of-a-kind reforms. However,
law professor Lara Bazelon claimed in the New York Times,
"Harris did not barter or trade to get the support of more conservative law-and-order
types; she gave it all away."
Sill, Vox explained,
"Harris's supporters argue that these criticisms sell her short."
In 2016, Harris became the first Indian-American United States senator, beating out the experienced
Loretta Sanchez, according to Business Insider. The Los Angeles Times commented that her win
was a hugely significant step towards equal representation in U.S. Congress. Her victory
came at a monumental time in U.S. politics; at her victory party, her supporters were
apparently watching the TV as Trump edged his way closer to presidential victory.
Harris used her victory speech as an opportunity to rouse her supporters for the coming years
under President Trump. She said,
"When we have been attacked and when our ideals and fundamental ideals are being attacked,
do we retreat or do we fight?"
"I say we fight."
This moment in Harris' past marked only the beginning of her campaign against Trump.
Just three short years after becoming a U.S. senator, Harris began a campaign to become
the president of the United States. According to CNN, her campaign started off promising,
but turned difficult when she failed to gain traction with voters, lagging behind other
candidates in both fundraising and the polls. Joe Biden ultimately succeeded in becoming
the party's presumptive nominee, and later in 2020, Biden announced that Harris would
be joining him as the Democratic vice-presidential nominee.
"Let me introduce to you for the first time, the next Vice President of the United States,
Kamala Harris."
The announcement signified yet another monumental achievement for Harris and another first for
America: Harris became the first person of Asian descent and the first Black woman to
to appear on a presidential ticket in the country's history, as The New York Times noted.
The historical announcement was reportedly well-received by Jamaicans and Indians around
the world. For instance, one Indian political commentator said that Biden's choice for V.P.
was a, quote, "triumph of diversity and democracy."
While Harris' presidential campaign for 2020 was unsuccessful, her place on the Democratic
ticket shows that her political career is just getting started. Several political commentators
have already suggested that Biden is gearing up for a 2024 campaign that sees Harris at
the helm of the Democratic ticket. Some have even compared the vice-presidential nominee
with another history-making politician: Barack Obama.
However, according to The Washington Post, Harris has no wish to be compared to former
President Obama. In fact, she apparently once said in an interview that she would prefer
to be judged on her own merits. Looking back at Harris' powerful, progressive upbringing,
it's clear where her fierce sense of identity comes from.
One thing's for sure: As her career continues, she's sure to continue making history and
creating her own legacy!
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