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Kamala Harris, candidate for U.S. vice president
Kamala Harris speaking at Otay Mesa Detention Facility, San Diego, CA, USA, in April 2020
Photo: United States Senate, Office of Semator Kamala Harris, 2020
Why current?
2020-08-29
On August 11, 2020, U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden made a historic announcement: his running mate would be Senator Kamala Harris of California, the first Black woman and the first person of Indian descent to be nominated to national office by a major political party.
Harris had been running for president herself until she ended her campaign in December 2o19.
At age 55, Senator Harris is seen by many as an energizing force on the 77-year-old Biden’s ticket. Despite some controversy regarding her past stances as attorney general of California, Harris appeals to large blocks of voters in the United States, including women, people of color, as well as moderates and progressives alike. Particularly in view of the current nationwide protests for racial justice in the U.S., having a woman of color as the vice presidential nominee is of special significance.
“Let me be clear: equal rights are not extra rights.”
-Kamala Harris
More about Kamala Harris
- Born Kamala Devi Harris, on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, USA.
- Both of Harris’s parents immigrated to the United States, her mother from India and her father from Jamaica.
- Attended Howard University in Washington D.C., majoring in political science and economics.
- Studied law at the University of California, Hastings.
- Married Douglas Emhoff in 2014.
- Firsts: 1st Black woman to be elected district attorney in San Francisco, California; 1st female and 1st African American to be elected attorney general of California; 1st Indian-American senator and 2nd African-American female senator; and of course, 1st African-American woman and 1st person of Indian descent to be nominated for the vice presidency.
- Supports reforms in law enforcement.
- Has taken strong positions on fighting climate change and stopping environmental degradation, including supporting the Green New Deal and opposing fracking (a controversial method of extracting oil and natural gas from rock), and has put together a plan to reach net-zero emissions of CO 2 by 2045.
- Supports stricter gun laws.
- Has long been a forceful voice for women’s rights.
Source: McNamee, Gregory Lewis, “Kamala Harris,” Encyclopaedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kamala-Harris, August 12, 2020.