Could Vice President Kamala Harris shatter the ultimate glass ceiling? Receiving backing from Joe Biden after his withdrawal from the White House race, she could author a new chapter of American history.
Already in January 2021, she made history as the first woman, first African-American, and first person of Asian descent to become Vice President. “She has smashed one glass ceiling after another,” Biden said last year.
Born in Oakland, California, the now 59-year-old Vice President regularly reflects on her experiences protesting civil rights as a child, alongside her Jamaican economist father and Indian breast cancer researcher mother.
Her dramatic revelation during a 2019 democratic primary debate was drawn from a childhood memory. Harris lambasted Joe Biden for his previous opposition to a racial desegregation policy that bussed children to distant schools, a system from which she had benefited. “I was that little girl on the bus,” she declared.
Despite her notable debate performance, her campaign was cut short before the first primary vote. Biden later invited her onto his ticket, exposing her to attacks from his Republican adversary Donald Trump.
In 2020, Trump often derided the Democrat as a “monster” and “angry woman,” terms evoking racist stereotypes about black women. Following a disastrous Biden-Trump debate on 27 June 2024, the then 78-year-old billionaire revived his attacks, mocking her as “Laughing Kamala” in reference to her booming laughter, and portraying her as a committed leftist.
A graduate of Howard University, Harris takes pride in embodying the American dream. After two terms as San Francisco’s district attorney (2004-2011), she was elected, twice, as California’s attorney general (2011-2017), becoming the first woman and first black person to lead the judicial services in the most populous US state.
She faced criticism for her tough stance on minor offenses, said to disproportionately impact minorities. In January 2017, she pledged her oath as Senator in Washington, becoming the first South Asian woman and only the second black woman in history to occupy this role.
As Vice President, she dedicated her victory speech to America’s “little girls”. In 2022, Harris passionately defended abortion rights, challenged by the Supreme Court. “How dare they? How dare they tell a woman what she can and can’t do with her own body?” she said in March 2003. This powerful statement, coupled with her nationwide campaign over the past year, boosted her prospects.
Meanwhile, Harris made some initial missteps in her term, notably on delicate matters of diplomacy and immigration. Often criticised for lacking gravitas in the media – a complaint some supporters chalk up to sexist bias – Harris carefully cultivates a relaxed image, abetted by her husband Doug Emhoff, America’s first “Second Gentleman” and the first Jew in this role, who is a key advocate against antisemitism in the White House.
