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Kamala Devi Harris
Kamala Harris, in full Name Kamala Devi Harris, (born October 20, 1964, Oakland, California, U.S.), American politician who was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Democrat in 2016 and began her first term representing California in that body the following year. She was the first Indian American to serve as a U.S. senator as well as the second African American woman. Harris previously was the state’s attorney general (2011 to 17). In November 2020 she was elected vice president of the United States on a ticket with Joe Biden.
Education and Career
Her father, who was Jamaican, taught at Stanford University, and her mother, the daughter of an Indian diplomat, was a cancer researcher. Her younger sister, Maya, later became a public policy advocate. After studying political science and economics (B.A., 1986) at Howard University, Kamala earned a law degree (1989) from Hastings College.
She subsequently worked as a deputy district attorney (1990 to 98) in Oakland, earning a reputation for toughness, as she prosecuted cases of gang violence, drug trafficking, and sexual abuse.
Harris rose through the ranks, becoming district attorney in 2004. In 2010 she was narrowly elected attorney general of California—winning by a margin of less than 1 percent—thus becoming the first female and the first African American to hold the post.
After taking office the following year, she demonstrated political independence, rejecting, for example, pressure from the administration of Pres. Barack Obama for her to settle a nationwide lawsuit against mortgage lenders for unfair practices.
Who is Kamala Harris | Bio, Tenure, Political, Family and more
Instead, she pressed California’s case and in 2012 won a judgment five times higher than that originally offered. Her refusal to defend Proposition 8 (2008), which banned same-sex marriage in the state, helped lead to it being overturned in 2013. Harris’s book, Smart on Crime (2009; cowritten with Joan O’C. Hamilton), was considered a model for dealing with the problem of criminal recidivism.
In 2012 Harris delivered a memorable address at the Democratic National Convention, raising her national profile. Two years later she married attorney Douglas Emhoff. Widely considered a rising star within the party, she was recruited to run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Barbara Boxer, who was retiring.
In early 2015 Harris declared her candidacy, and on the campaign trail she called for immigration and criminal-justice reforms, increases to the minimum wage, and protection of women’s reproductive rights. She easily won the 2016 election.
Who is Kamala Harris | Bio, Tenure, Political, Family and more
After taking office in January 2017, Harris began serving on both the Select Committee on Intelligence and the Judiciary Committee, among other assignments. She became known for her prosecutorial style of questioning witnesses during hearings, which drew criticism—and occasional interruptions—from Republican senators.
In June 2017 she drew particular attention for her questions to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was testifying before the intelligence committee on alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election; she had earlier called on him to resign. Harris’s memoir, The Truths We Hold: An American Journey, was published in January 2019.
Shortly, there after Harris announced that she was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.
From the outset she was seen as one of the leading contenders, and she drew particular attention when, during a primary debate, she had a contentious exchange with fellow candidate Joe Biden over his opposition to school busing in the 1970s and ’80s, among other race-related topics.
Although Harris’s support initially increased, by September 2019, her campaign was in serious trouble, and in December she dropped out of the race.
Who is Kamala Harris | Bio, Tenure, Political, Family and more
She continued to maintain a high profile, notably becoming a leading advocate for social-justice reform following the May 2020 death of George Floyd, an African American who had been in police custody.
Her efforts silenced some who had criticized her tenure as attorney general, alleging that she had failed to investigate charges of police misconduct, including questionable shootings. Others, however, felt that her embrace of reform was a political maneuver to capitalize on the increasing public popularity of social change.
As racial injustice became a major issue in the United States, many Democrats called on Biden, the party’s presumptive nominee, to select an African American woman—a demographic that was seen as pivotal to his election chances—as his vice presidential running mate.
In August 2020 Biden chose Harris, and she thus became the first Black woman to appear on a major party’s national ticket. In November 2020 she became the first Black woman to be elected vice president of the United States.
Personal life of Kamala Harris
Vice presidential office portrait of Harris and her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, in 2021
Harris met her husband, attorney Doug Emhoff, through a mutual friend who set up Harris and Emhoff on a blind date in 2013. Emhoff was an entertainment lawyer who became partner-in-charge at Venable LLP’s Los Angeles office. Harris and Emhoff were married on August 22, 2014, in Santa Barbara, California. Harris is a stepmother to Emhoff’s two children, Cole and Ella, from his previous marriage to the film producer Kerstin Emhoff. As of August 2019, Harris and her husband had an estimated net worth of $5.8 million.
Harris is well-known for her iconic wearing of pearl necklaces. Although speculation during the 2020 presidential campaign emerged that she began wearing them as an homage to her Howard University sorority, or even to Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, known for wearing a distinctive collar when issuing a dissent in the court, in her 2019 biography The Truths We Hold Harris had previously explained that she began doing so after being given a pearl necklace as a gift by her mother’s mentor Howard.
Kamala Harris
| Name | Kamala Devi Harris |
| Born | 10/20/1964 Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Husband | Doug Emhoff |
| Children | Cole and Ella (Step children) |
| Parents | Donald J. Harris Shyamala Gopalan |
| Education | Howard University (BA – 1986) University of California, Hastings (JD – 1990) |
| Religion | Baptist |
| Nationalit y | American |
| Home City | San Francisco, CA |
| Occupation | Politician-lawyer-author |
| Present | 49th Vice President of the United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Favorite Book | The Kite Runner, Dreams From My Father, The Joy Luck Club, and Native Son |
| Publications | “Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor’s Plan to Make Us Safer” “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey” |
| Net worth | $391,100 minimum net worth California’s junior senator had $2 million in assets including at least $250,000 in savings and a San Francisco Employees Retirement account from her time as city and county district attorney. The Democrat’s husband, lawyer Doug Emhoff, held more than $900,000 in investments and retirement accounts. Her liabilities included a mortgage of at least $1 million. ( As per Los Angeles times ) |
Kamala Devi Harris Political Experience
Vice President, United States of America, 2021-present
President, United States Senate, 2021-present
Senator, United States Senate, California, 2017-2021
Candidate, President of the United States, 2020
Candidate, Vice-President of the United States, 2020
Attorney General, State of California, 2011-2016
Candidate, United States Senate, California, 2016
Candidate, Attorney General, State of California, 2010, 2014
Kamala Devi Harris Former Committees
Member of Budget Committee, United States Senate
Former Member of Environment and Public Works Committee, United States Senate
Former Member of Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate
Former Member of Judiciary Committee, United States Senate
Former Member of Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, United States Senate
Former Member of Select Committee on Intelligence, United States Senate
Former Member of Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management, United States Senate
Former Member of Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, United States Senate
Former Member of Subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts, United States Senate
Former Member of Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law, United States Senate
Former Member of Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management, United States Senate
Former Ranking Member of Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Management, and Regulatory Oversight, United States Senate
Former Member of Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security, United States Senate
Former Member of Subcommittee on The Constitution, United States Senate
Professional Experiences
Former Member, California Medical Assistance Commission
Former Member, Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board
District Attorney, City and County of San Francisco, 2004-2011
Chief, Community and Neighborhood Division, Office of the San Francisco City Attorney, 2000-2003
Attorney, Career Criminal Unit, Office of the San Francisco District Attorney, 1998-2000
Deputy District Attorney, Alameda County, 1990-1998
Religious, Civic, and other Memberships
Former Fellow, Aspen Institute
Former Member, California District Attorneys Association Board
Vice President, National District Attorneys Association
Kamala Devi Harris Additional Information
Awards
Top 100 Lawyers in California,
California Lawyer Magazine in 2006
Top 100 Lawyers in California,
Daily Journal Newspaper in 2005
Most Distinguished Alumni,
Howard University
100 Most Influential Black Americans,
Ebony Magazine
“Woman of Power”,
National Urban League
Child Advocate of the Year,
San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Council in 2004
Publications
Kamala Devi Harris has written two non-fiction books and one children’s book.
O’C Hamilton, Joan (2009). Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor’s Plan to Make Us Safer. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.
Superheroes Are Everywhere. London: Penguin Young Readers Group.
The Truths We Hold: An American Journey. London
Favorite Movies
Logan, Black Panther, Steel Magnolias, A Star is Born, My Cousin Vinny, Wonder Woman, Antwone Fisher, Ratatouille, Dark Knight
Quote
“You may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not the last.”
- my mother, Shyamala G. Harris
Favorite Music
A Tribe Called Quest, Aretha Franklin, Bob Marley, Prince, Elton John, Too Short, John Legend, Raphael Saadiq, Ravi Shankar, Kendrick Lamar, Migos, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Carlos Santana, Miriam Makeba, Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Maroon 5, The Jackson 5, Nina Simone
Hobbies or Talents
Cooking, music, Farmer’s Markets, movies, Sunday family dinners, spending time with my niece, and actually reading the entire Sunday New York Times on Sunday
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