Who is Kamala Harris, the woman who will make history in the White House

They will say a lot about her. That she was brought up in a multiracial and multicultural home; since i was a girl broken how much glass ceiling annoy; that she is the owner of a sharp tongue which warns political veterans; who has contagious energy; that he found the love of his life around 50 and that On January 20, she will become one of the most powerful women on the planet. But it’s very hard to think Kamala harris without his smile, his laughter and that look of self-confidence that will serve to starve the White House and Joe Biden’s presidency.

Kamala Devi Harris, 56, will serve as vice president of the United States for at least four years. She was chosen by Democrat Biden, 78, as a vice presidential candidate and will make history as the country’s first vice president. But it will also bethe first black woman to hold this position and the first of Asian descent.

Kamala (her name means lotus flower in sanskrit and pronounced Kámala) was born in Oakland, Calif. to a predominantly African-American neighborhood and barely walked while already going to civil rights protests with his parents.

Her mother, Shyamala, had emigrated from India to fuel her career as a breast cancer researcher at the University of California, where she met Donald Harris, a Jamaican immigrant who was a prominent professor of economics.

In this multicultural mix, the mother ensured that Kamala and her sister, Maya, maintained a bond with their Indian ancestors by teaching them Hinduism and frequently bringing them back to their homeland. At the same time, the girls sang in a Baptist church choir.

Kamala is the same person today: funny, confident, strong, genuine and real. He tells it like it is and will let you know exactly what he thinks.

Wanda Kagan, friend of Kamala Harris

Shyamala and Donald divorced when Kamala was seven. Five years later, the woman emigrated with her daughters to Quebec, Canada, where a new job awaited her.

It was in high school that Kamala met Wanda kagan, who will become his best friend, a relationship that will have a major impact on the future vice-president. In an interview with Viva From Canada, Kagan, who works as an administrator at a hospital in Quebec, says Kamala “is the same person today as she was then: funny, confident, strong, genuine and real. She she has always been a sniperShe’s straightforward, sensible, she says it like it is and will always let you know exactly what she’s thinking ”.

Kagan remembers that Kamala did not play sports, that she was very cheerful, easy to laugh, that she always dressed in fashion and that her big hobby was dancing. “A group of girls got together and formed a dance group. We were the magic of midnight, ”she recalls.

Kamala still displays this young talent and his videos in which We see her dancing a kind of murga in a school for African-American children and also in the parades of the gay pride. But he’s also done it live and live at campaign events, where he usually appears with black Converse sneakers that have become his trademark.

This adolescent friendship was sealed by a dramatic situation. “During my high school years, I was sexually abused at home,” Kagan reveals.

“Kamala was my best friend, so I confided in her. She immediately said, “You have to come and live with us. Then he told his mother about it and they invited me to live in their house, where I enjoyed a stable, studious and healthy environment until the end of high school, ”he says.

“Kamala was an excellent student. Her mother instilled strong academic values ​​in her daughters. And when I went to live with them, she made sure I was just as focused and disciplined in my education, ”adds Kagan.

In some interviews, the future vice-president noticed that the tragedy her friend experienced had prompted her to study law, be a lawyer and become a lawyer. fighter for victims of gender violence.

The path

After high school and with an excellent command of French, Kamala went to study political science and economics at Howard University (known as the African American Harvard) in Washington DC, where she made real contact with her black roots and began to stand out as a skillful speaker. She then studied law at the University of California and was soon ready for her legal career.

He began his career in 1990 as a district attorney in Alameda County, California, and gradually progressed to being a district attorney in San Francisco. in 2010, she became the first woman and the first African descendant to serve as attorney general of California.

But in 2016, Kamala decided to turn around and devote herself to politics: she ran as the National Senator for California and her first attempt was successful, beating MP Loretta Sánchez, becoming the second African woman. American to enter the Senate and first of Asian origin.

In the upper house, he joined the committees for internal security and government affairs, justice, intelligence and the budget. His figure was magnified in front of the general public in 2018 during harsh questioning of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who was seeking Supreme Court appointment and has been charged with sexual abuse, as well as during the Russiagate hearings.

Although women constitute the majority population in many American communities, none have held such high political office before.

Sharon Wright Austin, political scientist

“Dried”

As Kamala pursued her ascending career, in 2013, in her late fifties, she met her true love on a blind date arranged by a friend, Douglas emhoff, a divorced lawyer who had two teenage children, Cole and Ella. When he proposed to her a few months later, Emhoff never imagined he would go down in American history as the first “second gentleman” (or “second husband”).

Kamala said her stepchildren coined the nickname “Momala”, a pun between “mom” (mother) and Kamala, a few years after her marriage to Emhoff because they preferred that term to “mother-in-law”. “.

“My family is everything to me. And I have had many titles throughout my career, and certainly ‘vice president’ will be great, but ‘Momala’ will always be the most important, ‘she said in her first speech after being appointed. to accompany Biden.

Biden took an eye on Kamala as the vice presidential candidate after dropping out of the Democratic primary race in December 2019, despite the fact that in some debates she had fiercely attacked Barack Obama’s former vice president.

The Democratic candidate, a 78-year-old white man, sought to make the formula look younger and more energetic and, in addition, wanted to represent the United States of today, with more and more women autonomous and with more and more voices against it. racism and police brutality.

Sharon Wright AustinSaid a professor of political science at the University of Florida, an expert on the political behavior of African-American women Viva that the fact of Kamala becomes the second most powerful person in the country is “very symbolic”.

“Although women constitute the majority of the population in many American communities, none have held such high political office before. Additionally, she managed to be first on many issues regarding gender and race. Her election as Vice President also shows how smart and hardworking women are being elected to the highest positions in our country today, ”she said.

The expert adds that “its achievement is even more meaningful to the African American community because of the discrimination we have faced for centuries in the United States. At one point in this country, it was unheard of for African Americans to vote, live in rich and racially mixed communities, hold certain jobs, or even run for certain political office. As a black woman, you give a renewed sense of pride and dignity to people around the world.“.

For her work as a prosecutor and in the Senate (where she advocated for the legalization of marijuana, the extension of health insurance, gay rights and in favor of immigrants, among others), during the Kamala campaign , she has been accused of “Socialist” by Republicans and President Donald Trump, who said at a rally in Florida that the United States would never have a Socialist Vice President, “especially a woman.”

During an interview on the show 60 minutes, the driver asked Kamala about it. “Are you a socialist or do you have a progressive outlook?”, He launched.

At that point, the vice president laughed so hard that this image became a meme that went viral. “No,” Kamala replied when she could finally stop laughing. And he continued, “This is the point of view of a woman who was a black girl in the United States, who also has a mother who came from India at 19 to this country and who also loves hip. hop. “

The next day, Trump showed his displeasure: “What’s wrong with this woman? Something is wrong? I think he only laughs when they ask tough questions, ”he warned.

The teenage friend points out that one of Kamala’s great skills is her empathy: “You have the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and take action. This will be a very important asset as the world and the United States recover from the ravages of Covid. It is focused like a laser: when it sets a goal, it hits it. With the myriad of challenges facing the United States, its ability to focus on what is important will be essential. “

On January 20, when she swears and then marches through the icy streets of Washington, Kamala will make history. But it is estimated that this will not be the last step: due to his advanced age, Biden may not stand for re-election in 2024 and the favorite to try to succeed is she. In the United States, there is no doubt that Kamala Harris’ career has not yet reached its limit.