Kamala Harris Makes History As First Female, First Black & First South Asian Vice President-Elect

Joe Biden was elected the 46th president of the United States on Saturday morning, officially making Donald Trump a one term president. Roughly 160 million Americans, or 66% of eligible voters, cast ballots for the candidates – the highest voter turnout the U.S. has seen since William McKinley’s election in 1900. At least 75 million people voted for the president-elect.

But this result was also historic for Biden’s running mate. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-California) will become the first female, first black and first South Asian vice president. She will also be the first vice president to have attended a HBCU and been a member of a Black sorority.

Harris was born in Oakland, California, in 1964. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, was an Indian immigrant and breast cancer researcher who passed away from colon cancer in 2009. Her father, Donald Harris, is a Jamaican American author and professor of economics.

Harris has been breaking gender and color barriers for more than a decade. In 2003, she was elected San Francisco district attorney, becoming the first Black woman to hold this position in California. In 2010, she became the first Black woman elected as California attorney general, and in 2016, she became the second Black woman elected as a U.S. senator. And now, she will make history as vice president of the United States.

After learning the news on Saturday, Harris tweeted a video of herself on the phone with Biden. “We did it, we did it, Joe. You’re going to be the next president of the United States,” she said

Harris’ win represents millions of underrepresented women whose voices are often overlooked and ignored. She will serve as an inspiration to future generations of girls and allow them to follow in her footsteps. As Harris’ mother once said, “Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you’re not the last.”

Article by Charlotte Ruhl