Who is Kamala Harris?

 by Maddy Ross

 

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has been hailed by many as the start of a new era; an era where women are not only welcomed into politics but one where a woman no longer needs to be welcomed. But where did her passion for justice and politics start and where does she stand on the issues that continue to divide America?

Harris was born in Oakland, California, on October 20th 1964 and attended Howard University where she graduated with a degree in political science and economics. At college, she chaired the Economics Society, led the debate team and interned for the California Senator at the time. Harris then returned to California to attend law school at the University of California, serving as the president of the Black Law Students Association at her college. 

After ten years serving as Deputy and Assistant District Attorney in various counties in California, Harris took up a job in San Francisco City Hall in 2000, where she represented child abuse and neglect cases. In 2004, Harris won 56% of the vote to be District Attorney of San Francisco, becoming the first person of colour to be elected to this role.  

A self-described "progressive prosecutor", Harris brought in a number of reforms, for example her work to improve re-entry for the incarcerated. In 2004, she appointed civil rights activist, Lateefah Simon, to lead the San Francisco Re-entry Division. The main programme was Back on Track, progressive new programme for non-violent first-offenders aged 18-30. Over six years, it saw great success, significantly bringing down recidivism rates and costing less per person than it would for a trial and the prison costs.

In 2011, she was sworn in as Attorney General for California, being the first woman, first African-American and first South Asian-American to ever take on the role. Through the job, she was integral to the progression of LGBTQ+ rights, arguing against Prop 8, which banned same-sex marriages in California. She delivered an impassioned speech on the issue in 2013. In 2014, she also co-sponsored legislation which eventually banned gay and trans panic defence in court (where defendants claim to be so offended or frightened by same-sex advances that the hate-crime was justifiable). 

In 2016, Harris ran for Senate, endorsed by President Obama and Vice President Biden; she was elected Senator for California, becoming the first South Asian American to serve in the Senate. She battled with Trump and his team on a number of issues, one of the first being Trump's plan to build a wall to block Mexican immigrants, denouncing it as a "vanity project". As a daughter of immigrants, she saw immigration as an important issue, supporting DREAMers and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals; in 2017, she said she would oppose any end-of-year government spending bills unless the government acted to support young people protected by DACA.

Possibly one of her more well-known moments was her questioning of Brett Kavanaugh before his Supreme Court confirmation. Her straight-to-the-point approach on topics such as the Mueller Report and on Kavanaugh's record on reproductive rights resulted in her receiving justly-earned praise. 

Fast-forward to November 2020, when she has just been projected as Vice President-Elect of the United States and you can see how her experience as Attorney General, Senator and as the child of immigrants has impacted her campaign. Reminiscent of her questioning of Kavanaugh, her debate with Vice President Pence was another moment when her ability to stay strong but collected under pressure was evident: "Mr Vice President, I'm speaking. I'm speaking" she said to Pence when he continued to interrupt her during a discussion of Trump's tax plan. 

Her history as a "progressive prosecutor" is clear when she discusses police reform and race. She's been vocal about the deep-rooted problem with the police, for example her passionate speech at the Democratic convention, where she said "We have to do the work . . . to fulfil that promise of equal justice under law." While the more left wing in her party wish for police defunding, she has offered an alternative solution that still addresses systemic problems in the force. Harris and Biden both support banning chokeholds and carotid holds. She has, however, admitted that there is a problem with the distribution of city funds. Speaking on The View, she said, "We have confused the idea that to achieve safety you put more cops on the street, instead of understanding to achieve safe and healthy communities . . . . In many cities in America, over one third of their city budget goes to the police. What about the money going to social services? What about the money going to help people with job training?"   

Many more liberal Democrats think Harris does not go far enough. Many Republicans think she goes too far. In many ways, her past causes her to have a complicated present. She supports controversial bu-back schemes in which the Government would ban and buy back already-owned assault weapons - a very progressive reform which angers many conservatives. However, Harris never backed down, her first-hand role seeing the effects of such weapons being the drive for her to bring in such measures. In the past, she has also stood her ground in opposing the death penalty, but then defended California's death penalty policy in court.    

Kamala has been many things: a daughter, a prosecutor, district attorney, attorney-general, senator and now Vice President-elect. But how will she now fare as Vice President? One thing for sure is certain: Harris' victory in the bid for the White House is nothing short of historical; it is clear that she's only just begun. A reporter once asked her about carrying on Obama's legacy, to which she said, "I have my own legacy."