Kamala Harris has been striving for historic change from a young age, quite literally. During the civil rights movement in the 1960s, she watched from her stroller as her immigrant parents—her father from Jamaica and her mother from India—peacefully protested for equality. She still carries their principles with her today. For three decades, Harris has fought tirelessly for justice, beginning as district attorney of San Francisco, then as California’s attorney general—the first woman, Black American and South Asian American to hold the office. After advocating for immigration, health care, gun safety reform and disaster relief as a U.S. senator, she became the country’s first woman, Black American and South Asian American vice president in 2020 alongside President Joe Biden. When Biden ended his re-election campaign, he endorsed Harris to take his place. Now much is on her shoulders as she seeks to unite the Democratic Party, defeat Donald Trump in his bid to regain the White House, and heal a divided country.
