The Truths We Hold: An American Journey

Kamala Harris is an American politician and attorney who has served as the 49th Vice President of the United States since January 20, 2021. As of this writing, she is the 2024 presidential nominee for the Democratic party. Born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, Harris is the first female, first Black American, and first Indian American vice president in US history. Harris is married to attorney Douglas Emhoff, making him the first Second Gentleman of the United States. She is stepmother to Emhoff’s two children from a previous marriage.

Harris was born to immigrant parents: Her father, Donald Harris, is a Jamaican-born economist, and her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was an Indian-born cancer researcher. Her upbringing was significantly influenced by her mother’s Indian heritage and the civil rights movement. Harris and her younger sister, Maya, were raised in Berkeley, California, and later moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, during their teenage years due to their mother’s career.

After completing high school in Quebec, Harris returned to the United States to attend Howard University, a historically Black institution in Washington, D.C. She graduated in 1986 with a degree in political science and economics. Harris then earned her Juris Doctor from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1989.