Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, announced Jan. 21 that she is running for president in 2020.
Here are some things to know about Harris.
She’s a California native.
Born Oct. 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, Harris is the daughter of Donald Harris, a Stanford University economics professor who immigrated from Jamaica, and Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who was a cancer scientist and the daughter of an Indian diplomat. She has a sister named Maya, who is a public policy advocate.
She’s an HBCU grad.
Harris studied political science and economics at Howard University, a historically black university. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1986 and got her law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
Related: Kamala Harris kicks off 2020 campaign, warns of divisions
She’s an attorney.
Although she hasn’t practiced since she’s been in office as a senator, Harris was deputy district attorney in Oakland, California, from 1990 to 1998. While there, she specialized in prosecuting sexual assault cases involving children.
From 2004 to 2011, she was the 27th district attorney of San Francisco. She made history in 2010 when she was elected attorney general of California, becoming the first female and first African-American to have the position. She ran again in 2014 and was re-elected.
She’s an author.
She’s a stepmother of two.
Harris married Doug Emhoff, a lawyer, in 2014, making her stepmother to his children from a previous marriage, Ella and Cole Emhoff.
About the Author
