Amidst the plethora of iconic “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” musical remixes on TikTok, president Joe Biden recently announced he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race and that his full support was now behind Vice President Kamala Harris as presidential nominee for his party. If Kamala Harris were to be elected as President, she would not only be the first female president, she would be the first ever Black and South Asian president elected in the United States of America. Here are some facts you may not know about Kamala Harris.
Kamala Harris has made history many times before. People know Harris because she’s the first woman of color Vice President, but this is certainly not the first time Kamala Harris has made history. Harris was also the first Black woman to be elected district attorney in California as well as to be California’s attorney general, and the first Indian American senator.
Harris has a unique ethnic background and very successful parents. Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, California and was the oldest daughter of Shyamala Gopalan, a cancer researcher from India who holds a PhD from UCLA, and Donald Harris, an economist originally from Jamaica who is now a professor at Stanford. Both of her parents met at one of the top schools in the nation, UC Berkeley and bonded over their civil rights activism, and they even took Kamala to protests when she was young. Kamala’s grandfather was also a high-ranking government official who fought for independence in India. You could say she was raised her whole life for public service!
Her whole family is also incredibly successful. Her sister, Maya Harris, attended UCLA and Stanford and even became one of the youngest law school deans ever in the United States. Her niece, Meena Harris, received her degrees from Stanford University and Harvard Law School and is both a lawyer and author as well as a Tony-award winner.
She has fought against – and won – against corrupt men in the past. When she became the first Black woman to be elected district attorney in California, she actually ran against her former boss Terence who she deemed less competent and progressive. And she won. She is also known for her exquisite questioning against Brett Kavanaugh when he was under consideration for the Supreme Court. Interestingly, Kamala Devi Harris is Harris’ full name and it has potent meaning for the rise of the divine feminine and women’s empowerment. Kamala means Lotus in Sanskrit and also doubles for the Goddess Lakshmi representing prosperity. Her middle name Devi means “goddess,” representing the power of fierce womanhood.
Her friendship with the first ever Black president, Barack Obama, goes way back. Kamala was one of the first leaders in California to endorse him during 2008 in his presidential campaign. In a bizarre twist of events, Obama also came under scrutiny for calling Harris the “best looking attorney general in the country.”
She shut down then VP Mike Pence’s interruption during the 2020 vice presidential debate. In a meme-worthy response that made anyone who has ever been interrupted by a man or experienced a racial microaggression of being talked over satisfied, Harris told Mike Pence, “Mr. Vice President, I am speaking. I am speaking,” when he tried to interrupt her response to a question about Covid. No matter what your political philosophies, you cannot help but appreciate this as one of the most badass moments for a woman on television.
She has phenomenally good reading taste and tons of discipline. Harris notes that her favorite books include The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, and Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. She also has a lot of discipline. Every morning, Kamala also says she works out every morning, spending an hour on SoulCycle or the elliptical or by taking a swim.
Her go-to motto originates from her mother. “You may be the first to do many things, but make sure you’re not the last.” It’s clear the way Kamala Harris was raised built the profound foundation for creating a legacy that may just change the world in the coming months.
My mother had a saying: “you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you’re not the last.” #ThursdayThoughts
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) April 13, 2017
