When Kamala Harris became the first African American female Vice President of the United States in 2021, little was known about her private life. Her rapid ascent from district attorney to being on the verge of the most powerful position in the country has invited scrutiny from the world’s media. But here’s what you might not know about her.
- Despite raising $1.5m within 24 hours of announcing her candidacy for President back in January 2019, she pulled out of the race in December, citing a lack of funds. She endorsed Joe Biden, who would later pick her to be his running mate.
- When Harris’ best friend in High School, Wanda Kagan, told her that she was being physically and sexually abused by her stepfather, Harris invited her to come and live with her. She has cited this as the reason she went on to pursue a career as a prosecutor.
- She is a keen crocheter and has been since she was a child. When visiting a yarn store during the coronavirus pandemic, Harris said that her mother wouldn’t let her “‘sit in front of that television doing nothing.”
- Harris was ostracised by police unions in San Francisco after she decided not to pursue the death penalty for a man who killed a police officer in 2004, when she was district attorney. The officer’s family have since said that supporting Trump would be the “‘better option” for law enforcement.
- More generally on the prison system, Harris has previously championed several reforms to solitary confinement and bail systems – as well as abolishing the death penalty.
- The Vice President’s favourite books are Native Son by Richard Wright, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis.
- Harris has pledged to fully legalise recreational cannabis if she is elected. As district attorney, her prosecutors convicted almost 2,000 people for cannabis-related offences, and she opposed allowing its sale when running to be attorney general in California. When she was asked in 2019 if she had ever smoked marijuana, she replied: “‘half my family’s from Jamaica. Are you kidding me?” to the dismay of her father, who called it a “‘fraudulent stereotype”.
- Although she has warned that “too many Palestinians are being killed”, Harris has largely towed the Biden line on the conflicts in the Middle East. In a poll of American Muslims, many of whom see solidarity with Palestine as “an ethical imperative”, 74% rated her as ‘unfavourable’ and when she replaced Biden, only 14% said they would vote for her if the election was held immediately. Not putting distance between herself and her predecessor could lose votes on the progressive wing of her support.
- Everybody knows that “Kamala IS brat”, but music has always been a huge part of Harris’ identity. From her Super Six dance troupe in High School and studying to Prince and Donna Summer, to hosting a ’50 Years of Hip Hop’ celebration at the VP’s residence in Washington DC.
- Harris has always tried to put women and children at the forefront of her political and legal career. She specialised in cases of child sex and domestic abuse in her role as a prosecutor in California and later co-founded the Coalition to End the Exploitation of Kids. She’ll be hoping that her pro-abortion stance will attract undecided and moderate Republican women.
Main image courtesy of Gage Skidmore