Born in Oakland, California, on October 20, 1964, Kamala Harris is the 49th vice president of the United States (2021–) serving in President Joe Biden’s Democratic government. She was the first African American and woman to occupy the position. She has previously held the positions of attorney general of California (2011–17) and U.S. Senate (2017–21).
Her mother, an Indian diplomat’s daughter, worked as a cancer researcher, while her father, a Jamaican professor, taught at Stanford University. Maya, her younger sister, went on to work for public policy. Kamala received her B.A. in political science and economics from Howard University in 1986, and her law degree from Hastings College in 1989.
Kamala Harris Biography
| Name | Kamala Harris |
| Other name | Kamala, Kamala Devi |
| Age | 56 years (2020) |
| Gender | Female |
| Birthdate | 20th of October 1964 |
| Nationality | American |
| Zodiac | Libra |
| Place of Birth | Oakland, California, United States |
| Occupation | Politician, Lawyer |
| Ideology (Political) | Politician, Lawyer Democratic Party |
Family Background
| Place of Origin | Jamaica, India, California, East Bay |
| Mother | Shyamala Gopalan |
| Father | Donald Harris |
| Sister | Maya Harris |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Relatives Members | Cole Emhoff, Ella Emhoff |
| Connected Members | Maya Harris, Meena Harris, P.V. Gopalan, Sharada Balachandran |
| Date of Marriage | 22nd of August, 2014 |
| Husband Name | Douglas Emhoff |
| Residence | Number One Observatory Circle |
Educational Background
- School: Westmount High School
- University/Colleges
- Howard University (1986)
- UC Hastings College of Law (1989)
- Degree: Doctor of Jurisprudence
Physical Statistics and Measurement
- Weight: 55kg
- Height: 157 cm
- Hair Color: Brown
- Eye Color: Black
Money Factor
- Combined Net worth with his husband Douglas Emhoff stands at $6 Million US dollars.
Publications
- Smart on Crime (2009)
- Superheroes Are Everywhere (2019)
- The Truths We Hold: An American Journey
Political and Law Career Journey
49thVice President of the United States
- Assumed office on the 20th of January 2021
- President: Joe Biden
- Preceded by: Mike Pence
United State Senator from California
- Term Period: the 3rd of January 2017- the 18th of January 2021
- Preceded by: Barbara Boxer
- Succeeded by: Alex Padilla
32nd Attorney General of India
- Term period: the 3rd of January 2011- the 18th of January 2017
- Governor: Jerry Brown
- Preceded by: Jerry Brown
- Succeeded by: Xavier Becerra
27th District Attorney of San Francisco
- Term period: the 8th of January 2004 – the 3rd of January 2011
- Preceded by: Terence Hallinan
- Succeeded by: George Gascon
- Term period: the 8th of January 2004 – the 3rd of January 2011
- Preceded by: Terence Hallinan
- Succeeded by: George Gascon
Marriage
Attorney Douglas Emhoff and Harris were wed on August 22, 2014. Emhoff is a partner at DLA Piper Law Firm and a litigator originally from Brooklyn. Four months after becoming engaged, they were married in a private ceremony at the Santa Barbara Courthouse. Maya Harris West, Harris’s sister, served as the celebrant. Doug and his ex-wife, Kerstin, are parents to two children. His younger daughter Ella attends Parsons School of Design, while his son Cole is a Colorado College alumnus. Cole and Ella, Doug’s stepchildren, are the children of Kamala Harris, and they call her ‘Momala’ with affection.
Career
The senator started her career as a prosecutor of child sexual abuse cases at the Alameda County District Attorney’s office. She was elected as the first woman and Black person to serve as California’s attorney general in 2003 after taking office as the district attorney for San Francisco for two terms. She served in that capacity from 2011 till 2017.
The second African-American woman and the first South Asian-American senator in history, Kamala D. Harris was sworn in as the United States senator representing California in 2017. She is a member of the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on the Budget, and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Net Worth
In 2003, Kamala was chosen to serve as San Francisco’s district attorney. As per Forbes, her annual salary during her tenure as district attorney exceeded $140,000, and she eventually made up to $260,000. According to Woman’s Health, the employment qualified her for a pension worth at least $250,000 today. According to Forbes, they jointly own three houses in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. Those assets are expected to cost $5.8 million.
Kamala Harris News
- The storm caused US Vice President Kamala Harris’s plane to divert.
The weather on Tuesday caused U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’s aircraft, Air Force Two, to be rerouted as it was returning from Atlanta, according to her office.
Kirsten Allen, a spokesman for Harris, said in a statement that “Air Force 2 was diverted to Dulles International Airport from Joint Base Andrews due to inclement weather tonight, en route from Atlanta, GA.”
A person with knowledge of the incident said that the plane experienced “wind shear.” The Federal Aviation Administration defines wind shear as a brief variation in wind direction or speed.
The plane landed safely at Dulles and Harris is now home.
Heavy rains and high winds hit a big chunk of the East Coast on Tuesday and will continue into Wednesday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.
- The Rise and Rise of Indian Americans in US Politics: From Vivek to Nikki to Kamala Harris
Of the many attacks between this year’s US presidential candidates, some of the harshest have pitted Vivek Ramaswamy against Nikki Haley.
Ramaswamy went so far as to hold up a sign at a debate calling the South Carolina former governor and UN ambassador corrupt over her corporate work — and she has hit back hard, calling him untrustworthy and berating him for mentioning her children.
Personal attacks are routine in US politics, and both Haley and Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old entrepreneur who has never held elected office, are facing uphill climbs to wrest the Republican nomination from former president Donald Trump.
But the two have something in common — they are children of Indian immigrants. Also expected on this year’s ballot is Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, whose mother came from India and whose father was born in Jamaica.
Indian Americans are split on whether the Ramaswamy versus Haley feud channels larger community tensions, but what is uncontestable is that Indian Americans are more politically prominent than ever before — and increasingly wearing their identity proudly.
It is another sign of success for the community, whose average household income is the highest of any US ethnic group.
Raj Goyle, a former state lawmaker in Kansas and co-founder of Indian American Impact, a South Asian American political group, said that ethnic groups in the United States historically have waited for a greater comfort level and critical mass before entering politics.
“Indian Americans actually have had a quicker journey than other immigrant communities in terms of political success,” he said.
He noted that Indian Americans are unusual as an immigrant group in that many arrived as educated professionals, highly regarded by other Americans.
“When the first wave of us were elected, we had to think about how voters would react to our ethnicity,” Goyle said.
While racism still exists, “Now, I think there’s a very good argument to make that it’s a huge plus.”
‘I AM A HINDU’
While few give Ramaswamy much chance of winning the presidency, his candidacy marks a watershed in his embrace of his religion.
Asked at a debate in Iowa about his religion, Ramaswamy said: “I am a Hindu. I won’t fake my identity.”
Ramaswamy, who has made his name as a Trump-style rabble-rouser denouncing “woke” politics, has cast his Hinduism as in line with conservative Christian beliefs and has voiced opposition to gay marriage.
He also explained to voters in farm state Iowa, which holds the nation’s first caucus, how he is a vegetarian due to his religion.
Meanwhile, a Trump campaign aide, Chris LaCivita, told voters to “beware” of Ramaswamy’s diet, also calling him a “fraud.”
Haley, born Nimarata Nikki Randhawa in South Carolina, has spoken of converting to Christianity, and took her husband’s surname.
A previous Indian American who nursed higher ambitions, former Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, similarly described his embrace of Christianity.
Harris has spoken at length of her Black identity but has also identified with India, recording a video during the 2020 election showing her cooking a masala dosa, a staple food for Tamils like her mother.
Maina Chawla Singh, a scholar at American University who has studied Indian Americans in politics, said the candidates were all “navigating” how to wear their identity.
She traces the political rise of the community to the presidency of Barack Obama, who hired a number of Indian American staffers.
“Indian Americans have established themselves in many domains, and this is probably the last stretch to conquer,” she said.
Despite the prominence of Republicans like Haley, Ramaswamy and Jindal, the community has overwhelmingly voted Democratic.
SUBTLE DIVIDING LINES
Dipka Bhambhani, an Indian American writer based in Washington, said the feud between Haley and Ramaswamy showed a divide within the community.
Haley grew up helping with the bookkeeping at her parents’ clothing store, while Ramaswamy, an Ivy League graduate, was born in Ohio to an engineer father and psychiatrist mother and later married an Indian American doctor.
“When I first saw the animus from Ramaswamy toward Haley, I knew what it was about. There are wealthy Indians out there who malign other Indians for deviating, exercising American choice in who they marry, how they worship and the like,” Bhambhani said.
“Ramaswamy criticizing Haley has been (a source of) anguish for so many of us in the Indian community. There are enough spears thrown at people of color in this country. Do we really need an Indian man to take up arms against his Indian sister?”
- PM Modi Raises Toast to India-US Ties At State Luncheon, Says Everyone Agrees Our Friendship Should Deepen Further
After back-to-back events on his historic US tour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday attended a luncheon hosted by the State Department, and said everyone agrees to one common theme: ‘India and US ties and friendship should further deepen.”
The prime minister also raised a toast to the India-US friendship and wished for peace and prosperity of the citizens of the two nations.
PM Modi began his address by thanking Harris and Blinken for the grand welcome and the warm words and highlighted several examples of how India and US are connected in people to people ties.
“In the last 3 days, I participated in numerous meetings. In all these meetings, one thing was common. Everyone agreed that friendship and cooperation should further deepen between the people of India and US,” PM Modi said.
Here’s what PM Modi said in his address
- “I would like to thank VP Kamala Harris & Secretary Blinken for this grand welcome. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to you for your warm words. Today, I am delighted to be before you once again at the State Department,” PM Modi said.
- “In the last 3 days, I participated in numerous meetings. In all these meetings, one thing was common. Everyone agreed that friendship and cooperation should further deepen between the people of India & US,” he said.
- PM further talked about examples of ties between the two countries by speaking about VP Harris’ mother Dr Shyamala Gopalan who migrated to the states 1958 and how despite being away from her motherland she continued to stay in contact with her family through letters.
- “She never severed her ties with India… India was close to her despite being thousands of miles away,” Modi said.
- Modi further said that Kamala has taken her mother’s legacy forward in a way that she is now an inspiration to millions of women around the world.
- “Your achievements are a major inspiration not only for the US but also for women in India and across the world,” he said.
- “Your contribution to strengthening our strategic partnership has been incredible….The sweet melody of the India-US relationship is composed of our people-to-people relations,” he said.
Before the luncheon, PM Modi along with US President Joe Biden met CEOs from both top US and Indian technology companies at the Hi-Tech Handshake event at the White House.
Prominent Achievements
Harris worked as a deputy district attorney with a focus on sexual offenses in Alameda County, California. In 2000, she rose to the position of chief of the San Francisco DA’s Community and Neighborhood Division, where she established the state’s first Children’s Justice Bureau, after her appointment as supervising attorney of the Career Criminal Unit.
Latest News About Kamala Haris
Kamala Harris Praises UC Berkeley as a Global Leader in Innovation and Inspiring Education
Vice President Kamala Harris praises UC Berkeley as an excellent international university that is well-known for its innovative spirit and intellectual stimulation. Harris describes her mother’s strong bond with UC Berkeley with fondness, describing how the university’s great reputation drove her mother to devote her life to breast cancer research, putting in endless hours in the lab in quest of discoveries that would improve people’s lives. Harris embraces her mother’s steadfast dedication and expresses her profound appreciation for the amazing advancements in breast cancer research made possible by this kind of commitment. Bright minds from all over the world are still drawn to UC Berkeley today by its magnetic allure, which promotes an innovative culture that leads to revolutionary developments in a range of subjects.
Fast Facts
- Of Tamil Indian and Jamaican descent
- Sang in a Baptist choir along with her younger sister
- At age 12, moved with her mother to Montreal, Québec, Canada
- Has served as District Attorney of San Francisco and Attorney General of California
- In 2013, was included in Time Magazine’s list of 100 Most Influential People in the World
- In 2013, became California’s third female U
- S
- Senator, the first Indian American and second black woman to serve in the chamber
- In January 2019, announced her candidacy for the presidential election
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