Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris Becomes First Woman of Color on Presidential Ticket

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced Tuesday that Senator Kamala Harris will join his ticket this fall, making Harris the first woman of color to be nominated for national office by one of the two major political parties.

Harris ran against Biden in an attempt to secure the Democratic presidential nomination late last year, but suspended her campaign in December and threw her support behind Biden, who committed to selecting a woman for his 2020 ticket.

Said Biden on Twitter on Tuesday:

I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked Kamala Harris – a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants – as my running mate.

President Barack Obama also took to Twitter to endorse Biden’s selection of Harris as his running mate:

So, who is Senator Kamala Harris?

Here are five quick points about the first Black woman to ever grace a presidential ticket:

  • She started her political career as a district attorney.

    Harris was San Francisco’s district attorney from 2004 until she was elected California’s attorney general in 2010. She was the first woman of color to hold both positions.

  • Harris is Black and South Asian American.

    Harris’ father, Donald Harris, is of Jamaican descent. He is a retired economics professor at Stanford University. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, was a native of Chennai, India, and spent her career as a cancer researcher and civil rights activist.

  • Harris attended an HBCU.

    Harris is an alumni of Howard University, a historically black college in Washington, DC. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. 

  • Harris grew up in Baptist church.

    Harris identifies as a Baptist, growing up at Oakland’s 23rd Avenue Church of God.

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