Vice President Kamala D. Harris was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, and became the first woman, African American woman, Indian-American, person of Asian-American descent, and graduate of an HBCU to be sworn in as the Vice President of the United States of America on January 20, 2021.
After high school, Harris enrolled at Howard University, a HBCU in Washington, D.C. She received her law degree from the University of California Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco and began her career in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office. In 2003, she was elected as the District Attorney of the City and County of San Francisco.
In 2010, she was elected as the first African American and first woman to serve as California's Attorney General. While Attorney General, she married lawyer Doug Emhoff and became stepmother to his two children. In 2016, she was elected as a Senator for California, becoming only the second African American woman to ever be elected to the Senate in U.S. history.
During her time in the Senate, Harris served on two committees: the Intelligence Committee and the Judiciary Committee. As the committees dealt with important issues, such as the investigation into Russian influence and meddling in the 2016 election and judicial appointments to the Supreme Court, Harris became known as a sharp, aggressive questioner who could unnerve opposing witnesses.
In 2019, Harris launched her campaign for President of the United States, which did not win the Democratic primary but proved her capabilities for leadership and governance. President-Elect Joseph R. Biden chose Harris as his running mate, making her the fourth woman on a major party's national ticket and the second African American on a presidential ticket.
On November 7, 2020, Harris spoke to a crowd of cheering Americans about the work women have done and continue to do in the United States. She said that while she may be the first woman in this office, she won't be the last, because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.