Published 12:41 IST, August 12th 2020
10 things about Kamala Harris: From middle name 'Devi' to her career as a prosecutor
Democratic 2020 US Presidential candidate Joe Biden chose Kamala Harris as his running mate. Here are 10 things about the US Senator that you need to know.
- World News
- 2 min read
Reported by: Janvi Manchanda
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On August 12, 2020, democratic candidate for President of the United States Joe Biden officially chose California Senator Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential running mate. Kamala Harris is the first woman of colour and Asian-American to be picked for a vice-presidential run. While her political career is known to many who have followed US politics, there's a lot that people don't know.
Everything you need to know about Kamla Harris
- Kamala Harris is an Indian-American from her mom's side. Late Shyamala Gopalan, was who emigrated to America from India, was born in Madras (now Chennai). She was a breast cancer researcher. Kamala's father Donald Harris was a British Jamaica-born professor of economics at Stanford University.
- Her mother met her father at UC Berkeley. They both actively took part in the Civil Rights Movement. Her parents got divorced when she was just 7 years old.
- Her full name is Kamala Devi Harris. She has a sister, Maya Lakshmi Harris, who is an American lawyer, public policy advocate and a television commentator.
- Kamala Harris embraces her cultural background and heritage. As a child, she went to a black Baptist church as well as a Hindu temple.
- Kamala earned a double-major in political science and Economics from Howard University, Washington D.C., before she went on to earn a Doctorate in Jurisprudence from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco.
- Kamala Harris has written 2 non-fiction books named 'The Truths We Hold: An American Journey', 'Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor's Plan to Make Us Safer' and a children's book 'Superheroes Are Everywhere'.
- She interned as a mailroom clerk for California Senator Alan Cranston when she was studying at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
- Kamala Harris joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority during her time at Howard University. She also led the debate team, demonstrated against apartheid and was the chairman of the economics society.
- She started her career as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County, California and went on to become the District Attorney of San Francisco. She held office from 2004 to 2011. Kamala Harris has been a U.S. Senator from California since 2017 and will now run alongside Joe Biden in the 2020 U.S. elections.
Updated 12:41 IST, August 12th 2020