US Presidential Election: Kamala Harris makes history as America’s first female VP, yet fails to secure presidency

Kamala Harris, the daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, experienced a major setback in her political career when she lost to Republican rival Donald Trump in the fiercely contested race for the White House. Her defeat dashed her aspirations of becoming the first female President of the United States.

However, Harris, 60, has achieved several historic milestones. She became the first woman, the first African-American, and the first person of Indian descent to be elected as the district attorney of San Francisco. As vice president, she made history again, becoming the first woman to hold the office, as well as the first African-American and Indian-American person to do so.

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In an op-ed published just days before the November 5 election, Harris reflected on her childhood visits to India and shared memories of her late mother, Shyamala Gopalan, a cancer researcher and civil rights activist.

“Growing up, my mother raised my sister and me to appreciate and honour our heritage. Nearly every other year, we would go to India for Diwali. We would spend time with our grandparents, our uncles, and our ‘chitthis’ (aunts),”Harris wrote in the article for The Juggernaut, an online South Asian publication.

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Harris’ big break came when President Joe Biden, after struggling in a nationally televised debate with Trump, dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris as his presidential nominee. This nomination marked a significant milestone in her career, one she had put on hold in 2019 due to lack of funding for her campaign.

Biden’s selection of Harris as his running mate in 2020 was historic—she became only the third woman ever to be nominated for vice president by a major party. Harris also made history as the first Indian-American to serve in the Senate, where she was one of only three Asian Americans at the time.

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Often compared to Barack Obama, Harris was dubbed “the female Barack Obama” by journalist Gwen Ifill over a decade ago. Obama has remained a staunch supporter, endorsing Harris in several campaigns, including her Senate run in 2016, her vice-presidential candidacy in 2020, and the 2024 presidential race.

Born in Oakland, California, Harris was raised by her Hindu mother, Shyamala Gopalan, and her father, Donald Harris, who is from Jamaica. After their divorce, Harris was primarily raised by her mother, who instilled in her the importance of embracing both her African-American and Indian roots.

“My mother understood very well that she was raising two black daughters,” Harris wrote in her autobiography, ‘The Truths We Hold’. “She knew that her adopted homeland would see Maya and me as black girls, and she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident, proud black women.”

Harris attended Howard University, a formative experience she describes as pivotal in shaping her life. She later earned her law degree from the University of California, Hastings, before launching her career as a prosecutor in Alameda County and eventually serving as San Francisco’s district attorney.

In 2010, she was elected California’s attorney general, becoming the first woman and the first Black person to hold the office in the state. Harris’ rise to the nation’s second-highest office is a testament to her legacy of breaking barriers and working toward a more inclusive America.