Kamala Harris: From daughter of immigrants, to running for president

2024-11-02 22:45:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris comes from one of the most diverse and liberal areas of the United States. As VOA correspondent Matt Dibble reports from Oakland, Calif., she has built a career combining the role of tough law enforcement officer with that of forward-looking reformer.

Kamala Harris was born in 1964 and her story begins in the diverse and progressive neighborhoods of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Her immigrant parents, Shyamala Gopalan from India and Donald Harris from Jamaica, met in Berkeley, California, where both gifted students were pursuing graduate studies at the University of California.

Berkeley University in the 1960s was a center of civil rights and peace activism.

Ms. Harris has said that among her earliest memories is participating in protests with her mother.

In 1970, her mother and father separated.

Shyamala Gopalan, with her two daughters, rented an apartment in an area of ??Berkeley.

"They lived above a nursery, in a modest two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment."

Ms Harris's childhood friend Carole Porter recognized her at the school bus stop.

Kamala Harris: From daughter of immigrants, to running for president

"We were the second group to end racial segregation in Berkeley's schools."

Ms. Harris attended Howard University, a historically African-American college, and then law school.

At a time when the incarceration of black men in California was at record levels, she worked as a prosecutor, a role often viewed negatively in the African American community.

"She wanted to bring about change so that people would not be prosecuted based on systemic and structural racism."

In 2002, Ms. Harris ran for San Francisco District Attorney.

"There had never been a woman district attorney before. She came from the weakest position, but from the beginning she had something very special," says Andrea Dew Steele, Democratic activist for women's engagement.

Ms. Harris won the close race and began working to increase sentences for violent crimes while directing first-time offenders to her "Back on Track" rehabilitation program.

Elected California Attorney General in 2010, she pressured banks to pay $20 billion for fraudulent lending practices, fought cross-border drug and human trafficking, and championed marriage equality.

Kamala Harris: From daughter of immigrants, to running for president

In 2016, Ms. Harris was elected to the Senate, where she quickly became a powerful voice on issues of immigration, health care and criminal justice reform. She became known for her sharp questions during hearings and her ability to hold powerful leaders accountable.

But in the 2020 presidential race, Ms. Harris' campaign struggled amid chaos on her team.

"There's definitely been talk of frequent changes in her team, the difficulty of keeping talented people in her orbit," says Gil Duran, a former aide to Ms. Harris.

Mr. Biden won the nomination and ultimately asked Ms. Harris to be his running mate. They both won, and she became the first woman and the first person of color to hold that office.

In the face of a large influx of immigrants trying to enter the United States, Vice President Harris engaged with regional leaders to address the problems of instability and poverty in their countries.

She was quickly targeted.

"She was in charge of securing the border and I don't even know if she was ever there," said Republican Kathy Willmont.

Ms. Harris has become more comfortable as a representative on the world stage, emphasizing support and easing tensions.

And in a career characterized by breaking barriers and exceeding expectations, Ms. Harris reached yet another peak, becoming the Democratic nominee for president when Joe Biden suddenly dropped out of the race./ DW