Kamala Harris, Born to a Jamaican Father
Kamala Devi Harris born October 20, 1964 is an Attorney, an American politician and currently the Vice President of the United States of America. Harris served as a United States senator for the state of California from 2017 to 2021, and as the Attorney General of the said state from 2011 to 2017.
Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, California to a South Asian mother and a Jamaican father. Harris is a graduate of Howard University and the University of California, Hastings College of Law. Her career began at the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, from where she was recruited to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. Harris later went on to the City Attorney of San Francisco’s office. In 2003, she was elected district attorney of San Francisco. She was elected Attorney General of California in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014. Harris served as the junior United States senator for California from 2017 to 2021. Harris defeated Loretta Sanchez in the 2016 Senate election to become the second black woman, the first South Asian American and the first Caribbean American to serve in the United States Senate. As a Senator, she advocated for healthcare reform, federal de-scheduling of cannabis, a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, the DREAM Act, a ban on assault weapons, and progressive tax reform.
Harris became a candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, but dropped out of the race before the end of the primaries. Joe Biden, the former Vice President, emerged the winner and selected Harris as his running mate for the upcoming general elections. The Biden–Harris ticket went on to win the 2020 election. Kamala Harris is now the United States’ first female Vice President, the highest-ranking female elected official in U.S. history. Kamala Harris is also the first African American of Jamaican decent to serve as a United States Vice President.
Kamala’s motto: “You may be the first, but make sure you’re not the last”. A message from her Mom.
The above information was gathered from public records including but not solely the websites of; Whitehouse.Gov and Britannica.com.
Nice article. Jamaicans are certainly moving up!
Two comments: …..
Thanks for the positive feedback. Your comments are noted.
Oh Cuz, I did not look at the publisher at first. Well done and congrats.
Thank you Cuz. Keep following for more stimulating articles.
Great writing, you have been doing well. Congratulations on your journey.
Thanks for checking in. Keep following for more stimulating articles.
I would like you to find out Kamala true feelings to her father and the Caribbean as she always seem to mention her mother and the South Asian background but never the Jamaican Caribbean side.
Short of a direct interview, I may not be able to produce a definitive response. However from my research on Kamala Harries, a few things are clear. Her parents separated when she was very young and she did not have a lot of opportunity to emerge in her Jamaican culture. She was raised by her Indian mother who raised her as an American black girl. Although she had the Indian influence, she didn’t speak much of it either. The following is an excerpt from one of the articles I read:
As Harris has become a prominent figure in state and national politics, many Indian Americans are thrilled — and a little surprised to learn of her Indian background. “It’s only been in the last few year that she’s really come out and embraced it,” said Aziz Haniffa, executive editor of India Abroad, the oldest and largest South Asian newspaper in the United States.
You can also read the article published in The Washington Post on Feb. 2, 2019 title “ ‘I am who I am’: Kamala Harris, daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, defines herself simply as ‘American’ ”.
Put together very well, thanks for the information on her whole career. Would like to know more about her Heritage.
Thank you for your positive feedback. For a deeper dive into Kamala Harris’s heritage, you can read her book “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey”. There is also an article published in The Washington Post on Feb. 2, 2019 that could provide you with a good summarization. The title is “ ‘I am who I am’: Kamala Harris, daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, defines herself simply as ‘American’ ”.