Kamala Harris : Could She Become the First Female President of the United States & Who Is She?

Kamala Harris made history in 2020 by becoming the first woman and the first South Asian person to be elected Vice President of the United States. Reflecting on her journey, Harris paid tribute to her mother and the generations of women of all races who paved the way for her achievement. “While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last,” she told a cheering and honking audience in Wilmington, Delaware. “Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.”


So, who is Kamala Harris? Here are some facts that you ought to know about 59-year-old Californian senator.

• She was born in Oakland, California, to Donald J Harris, a Jamaican emeritus professor of economics, who emigrated to the US in 1961, and Shyamala Gopalan, a breast-cancer scientist who had emigrated from Tamil Nadu, India in 1960 to pursue a doctorate in endocrinology at UC Berkeley.
• Her growing up days were filled with activism, as their parents used to attend civil rights rallies, with Harris and her sister Maya, on tow.
• Both Harris and Maya grew up going to both a black Baptist Curch and a Hindu temple. They also visited their mother's family in Chennai (then Madras), on occassions, and as a result, Kamala understands a bit of Tamil. They were raised by their mother after their parents divorced when Kamala was just seven.
• Harris' grandfather (on her mother's side), P.V. Gopalan, an high-ranking Indian civil servant who was assigned to Zambia, played a big role in shaping her interest in public service.
• Harris has many firsts under her belt, namely the first African-America, first woman and first Asian-American to become attorney-general of California. She is also the first Indian-American and second African-American woman to serve as a senator.
• The law graduate had served stints as the district attorney of San Francisco, and later as the attorney-general of California.
• Harris is reportedly driven by a quote her mother used to tell her:"You may be the first to do many things but make sure you're not the last."
• In January 2019, Harris announced running for president but withdrew from the race in December, citing a shortage of funds. In March 2020, she endorsed Biden for president.

Harris's ascent to one of the highest offices in the country highlights the remarkable trajectory of her political career. A former San Francisco district attorney, she was elected as the first Black woman to serve as California’s attorney general. In 2016, she became only the second Black woman in history to be elected to the United States Senate.

As Vice President, Harris is expected to select a running mate, with speculation pointing towards a moderate male candidate to appeal to voters who may perceive her as more progressive than President Biden. To reassure conservative voters, Harris is likely to emphasize her extensive experience as a "top cop," leveraging her law enforcement background to garner broader support.

Source : RTE.IE, Brookings.edu