Eleanor Finch
Kamala Harris is an American politician who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. She was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, and is the daughter of an Indian biologist mother and a Jamaican economics scholar father. Harris studied political science and economics and later obtained a law degree. She has broken barriers as the first woman, first Black person, and first Asian American to hold the vice presidency. Harris turned 60 in 2024 during her presidential campaign.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Kamala Devi Harris |
| Date of Birth | 20 October 1964 |
| Age | 60 years |
| Birthplace | Oakland, California, US |
| Alma Mater | Howard University |
| Parents | Shyamala Gopalan and Donald J. Harris |
| Political Party | Democratic Party |
| Profession | Politician |
| Profession Timeline | US Senator for California (2017-2021), Attorney General of California (2011-2017), 49th Vice President of the United States (2021-2025) |
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What You'll Learn
- Kamala Harris was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California
- She turned 60 in 2024
- Harris is the first woman to be vice president of the United States
- She is also the first Black person and first Asian American in the role
- Harris was the second African-American woman and first South Asian-American US senator
Kamala Harris was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California
Kamala Harris grew up in a family with strong academic and civil rights backgrounds. Her parents met in 1962 as part of a Black student group at UC Berkeley and married in 1963. The family lived in Berkeley until they moved in 1966, around Kamala's second birthday. They then spent a few years in college towns in the Midwest, where her parents held teaching or research positions. By 1970, the marriage had ended, and Kamala's mother moved back to Berkeley with her two daughters.
Kamala Harris's identity as a biracial woman has been a topic of discussion and speculation. She is of mixed-race, Jamaican, and Indian heritage, and her parents' immigrant backgrounds have been a focus of interest. Harris's political career has been historic due to her racial and ethnic identity. She became the first Black woman and the first Asian-American to run for vice president on a major party ticket in the United States. Serving as the 49th vice president from 2021 to 2025, she was also the first woman to hold that office.
Kamala Harris's political career has been notable for its focus on inclusivity and diversity. She has broken barriers by becoming the second African-American woman and the first South Asian-American senator in history when she was sworn in as a United States Senator for California in 2017. She also served as attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017. Harris's presidential campaign in 2024, though unsuccessful, further highlighted her commitment to inclusivity and her ability to energize diverse voter groups.
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She turned 60 in 2024
Kamala Harris turned 60 on October 20, 2024. She was born in Oakland, California, on October 20, 1964. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was a biologist who immigrated to the United States from India in 1958 to enrol in graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley. Her father, Donald J. Harris, immigrated to the United States from Jamaica in 1961 and also enrolled at UC Berkeley, where he specialized in development economics.
Harris served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025, making her the first woman, the first Black person, and the first Asian American to hold that office. She previously served in the U.S. Senate from 2017 to 2021 and as attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017.
Harris's identity as a biracial woman has been a topic of both celebration and scrutiny during her public life in politics. She is of mixed-race, Jamaican, and Indian heritage, with both of her parents being immigrants. Harris's historic candidacy as the first Black woman and Asian-American to run for vice president on a major party ticket has been a subject of interest and speculation on social media and in news stories.
In the lead-up to her 60th birthday, Harris was in the final stretch of a tight U.S. election battle with 78-year-old Donald Trump. She urged voters to choose compassion over chaos and worked to energize Black male voters, denouncing Trump's support of the 'stop and frisk' policy. Despite her efforts, Harris lost the 2024 United States presidential election to Trump.
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Harris is the first woman to be vice president of the United States
Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, California, on October 20, 1964, and is currently 60 years old. Harris served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under the administration of Joe Biden. She is the first woman to have been vice president, as well as the first Black person and the first Asian American to hold that office. Harris's identity as a biracial woman has been a topic of discussion and speculation on social media and news platforms. She is of Jamaican and Indian descent, with an Afro-Jamaican father and an Indian mother. Harris's historic selection as the Democratic vice-presidential candidate was announced in August 2020, making her the first Black woman and the first Asian-American to run for vice president on a major party ticket.
Harris's political career has been marked by a series of groundbreaking achievements. Before becoming the vice-presidential candidate, she served in the U.S. Senate from 2017 to 2021, making history again as the second African-American woman and the first South Asian-American senator. Additionally, she served as attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017. As president of the Senate, Harris broke a nearly 200-year-old record by casting the most tie-breaking votes in history.
Harris's candidacy and subsequent vice presidency represent a significant milestone for diversity and inclusion in American politics. Her election to the second-highest office in the nation serves as a testament to the leadership and capabilities of Black women, which have often been overlooked in the political sphere. Harris's biracial and immigrant background also adds a layer of complexity to her identity that has been both celebrated and scrutinized. Some have questioned the authenticity of her Black and Asian identities, reflecting the ongoing conversations around race and identity in America.
Despite the speculation and scrutiny surrounding her identity, Harris has focused her political career on inclusivity and the acknowledgment of diverse communities. Her campaign has been characterized by a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), which has been a source of criticism from her political opponents. However, Harris's supporters have embraced these values, turning them into positive political messages that resonate with a younger, media-savvy electorate. Harris's vice presidency has paved the way for greater representation and recognition of marginalized groups in American politics.
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She is also the first Black person and first Asian American in the role
Kamala Harris was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, and is of Jamaican and Indian descent. Harris served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under the administration of Joe Biden. She is the first woman to hold the office of vice president, and she is also the first Black person and first Asian American in the role. Harris's identity as a biracial woman has been a topic of discussion and speculation, with some questioning the authenticity of her Black and Asian identities. However, her candidacy represented a milestone, acknowledging the leadership of Black women, which has often been overlooked.
Harris's parents, Donald J. Harris and Shyamala Gopalan, met in 1962 as students at the University of California, Berkeley. Her father, an Afro-Jamaican, was an economics doctoral student, and her mother, who came from India, studied nutrition and endocrinology. They married in 1963, and Kamala, their first daughter, was born the following year. The family lived in various college towns in the Midwest, as Harris's parents held teaching and research positions. By 1970, the marriage had ended, and in 1972, the couple officially divorced.
Harris graduated from Westmount High School in Montreal, Quebec, in 1981. She later earned a B.A. in political science and economics from Howard University in 1986 and a law degree from Hastings College in 1989. Before becoming vice president, Harris served in the U.S. Senate from 2017 to 2021 and as attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017. She was the second African-American woman and the first South Asian-American senator in history.
In 2020, Harris made history again as the first Black woman and the first Asian-American woman to run for vice president on a major party ticket. She and Joe Biden ultimately won the election, and she served as vice president until 2025, when she and Biden lost the election to Donald Trump. Harris's vice presidency broke barriers and represented a significant step forward in terms of inclusivity and representation in American politics.
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Harris was the second African-American woman and first South Asian-American US senator
Kamala Harris, born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, is an American politician who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. She was the first woman and the first African-American and Asian-American to hold the post of vice president. Harris's mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was a biologist who immigrated to the United States from India in 1958, and her father, Donald J. Harris, was an economics doctoral student who immigrated from Jamaica in 1961.
Before becoming vice president, Harris had a prominent political career. She served as the junior US senator from California from 2017 to 2021, making her the second African-American woman and the first South Asian-American US senator in history. Harris was elected to the Senate in 2016, defeating Sanchez with over 60% of the vote. During her time as a senator, she advocated for stricter gun control laws, the DREAM Act, federal legalization of cannabis, and reforms to healthcare and taxation. She gained a national profile by questioning several appointees of then-President Donald Trump, including Jeff Sessions and Brett Kavanaugh.
Prior to her Senate career, Harris served as California's attorney general from 2011 to 2017, becoming the first woman, African-American, and South Asian-American to hold that office in the state's history. As attorney general, she focused on consumer protection, criminal justice reform, and privacy rights. She also served as San Francisco's district attorney from 2003 to 2011, becoming the first Black woman and Asian-American woman to hold that position.
In 2019, Harris launched her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination but withdrew before the primaries. However, Joe Biden selected her as his running mate, and they went on to defeat Donald Trump and Mike Pence in the 2020 presidential election. As vice president, Harris presided over a closely divided Senate and cast several tie-breaking votes, including votes to pass the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 stimulus package.
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Frequently asked questions
Kamala Harris was born on October 20, 1964, and turned 60 in 2024.
Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, California, and lived in college towns in the Midwest during her early childhood, including Urbana, Illinois, Evanston, Illinois, and Madison, Wisconsin. Her parents, Donald J. Harris and Shyamala Gopalan, were immigrants from Jamaica and India, respectively, and held teaching and research positions at universities in these towns. The couple divorced when Kamala Harris was seven years old, and she moved back to Berkeley, California, with her mother and sister.
Kamala Harris is a member of the Democratic Party. She served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She was the first woman, the first Black American, and the first Asian American to hold this position. Prior to her vice presidency, she served as a United States Senator for California from 2017 to 2021 and as attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017.
During her 2024 presidential campaign, Kamala Harris preferred to talk about her opponent, Donald Trump's age (78), rather than her own.
