Kamala Harris is undoubtedly the woman of 2020, making history when Joe Biden chose her to be his running mate for the 2020 Presidential Election.

This makes Kamala the first Black and South Asian American woman to run on a major political party’s presidential ticket, and our dream choice for a future Vice President.

Getty Images

‘I’ve decided that Kamala Harris is the best person to help me take this fight to Trump and Mike Pence and then to lead this nation starting in January 2021,’ Joe Biden announced after making his selection, something that proved popular online.

‘Joe Biden can unify the American people because he’s spent his life fighting for us. And as president, he’ll build an America that lives up to our ideals,’ Kamala posted to Twitter after news broke. ‘I’m honored to join him as our party’s nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief.’

But who is Kamala Harris and what should we know about a woman who has already carved out a place in history books?

Here’s everything you need to know about the US senator that we’re hoping will become our first ever female Vice President…

Getty Images

Kamala Harris background

Kamala Devi Harris was born in Oakland California, brought up by her parents, Shyamala Gopalan, a breast cancer scientist from India, and Donald Harris, a Stanford economics professor, from British Jamaica. Her younger sister, Maya Lakshmi Harris, is a lawyer, public policy advocate and TV commentator. Maya is most known however for her role as a senior policy advisor behind Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Presidential Campaign.

Kamala started school during Berkeley’s school desegregation busing program, an effort to bring about racial balance in a school which had previously been 95% white. Kamala went on to study political science and economics at Howard University, Washington, D.C., before moving back to California and passing the bar examination.

Kamala Harris name meaning

Kamala’s name ‘Kamala Devi’ reportedly relates to Hindu mythology, with ‘Kamala’ meaning ‘lotus’ and ‘Devi’ meaning ‘goddess’ in Sanskrit.

Getty Images

Kamala Harris career

Kamala Harris worked as a Deputy District Attorney in Alemeda County, California, before becoming the District Attorney of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011. She was elected the Attorney General of California from 2011 to 2017 before becoming a US Senator in 2017, endorsed by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

Harris was a top contender for the 2o2o Democratic nomination for President, but was forced to withdraw her nomination in December 2019 due to a shortage of funds, endorsing Joe Biden for President instead. Kamala was thought to be the frontrunner to be chosen as Joe Biden’s running mate, a decision that he publicly announced on August 11 2020.

The 2020 Presidential Election took place on 3 November 2020.

Getty Images

Kamala Harris quotes

1. ‘I was raised to be an independent woman, not the victim of anything.’
2. ‘If we do not lift up women and families, everyone will fall short.’
3. ‘My mother had a saying: ‘Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you’re not the last.’
4. ‘What’s important for my daughter to know is that… if you are fortunate to have opportunity, it is your duty to make sure other people have those opportunities as well.’
5. ‘Here’s the thing: every office I’ve run for I was the first to win. First person of color. First woman. First woman of color. Every time.’
6. ‘I believe that a child going without an education is a crime.’
7. ‘I do not believe that government should be in the business of telling women what they should do with their bodies.’
8. ‘I grew up hearing stories about my grandmother – my mother’s mother – who used to go to villages in India in her little VW bug. My grandmother would take a bullhorn and make sure women in these villages knew how to access birth control.’
9. ‘My mother was and will always remain my greatest hero.’
10. ‘People who work for me know that family comes first. And I’m fortunate to have a family that is very supportive of the work I do, so I don’t have to live two separate lives.’
11. ‘I’m one of the luckiest people on earth.’
12. ‘So many people trip in front of them because they’re looking over there or up ahead.’
13. ‘There was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools and she was bused to school every day. That little girl was me.’
14. ‘I just think it’s so important not to take yourself too seriously.’
15. ‘I’m opposed to any policy that would deny in our country any human being from access to public safety, public education, or public health, period.’
16. ‘I’ll be judged on the body of work and not the popularity of any one decision.’

We’re beyond excited to see what this woman achieves.

The post Here’s everything you need to know about our dream future Vice President Kamala Harris appeared first on Marie Claire.