Currents News Staff
When Kamala Harris was asked by Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden if she was ready to go to work, she had a firm response: “Oh my God, I am so ready to go to work.”
And go to work she will, hoping to become the nation’s first female, first Black and first Asian-American vice president.
“Growing up, whenever I got upset about something, my mother would look me in the eye and ask ‘so what are you gonna do about it?’”
Senator Kamala Harris’ mother was born in India and her father was born in Jamaica. Growing up, she was exposed to many of the world’s religions. The 55-year-old was raised on Hinduism and Christianity. She now considers herself a Black Baptist. Her husband is Jewish.
Meanwhile, she could be second in command to the second Catholic U.S. president. She described Biden as a “man of faith, decency and character.” But she’ll have to fight for the support of some Catholic voters. Harris is a staunch supporter of legal protection for abortion and has pushed Biden on that issue.
As California attorney general, Harris was criticized by the state Catholic Conference for sponsoring a bill forcing pro-life pregnancy centers to advertise abortion services to their clients. That law was overturned by the Supreme Court.
In 2016, she was elected to the U.S. senate where she rose in prominence for her grilling of President Trump’s Supreme Court nominees.
“Can you think of any laws that give the government the power to make decisions about the male body?” Harris asked.
She also raised questions about whether a federal judge candidate could be fair since he was a member of the Knights of Columbus, which she called “an all-male society” that opposes a woman’s right to choose and marriage equality.
Her early career included a stint as district attorney in San Francisco. As attorney general, she took on the big banks during the foreclosure crisis.
Now she’s making history as just the third woman to appear in the vice presidential slot for a major party ticket. Harris is considered a role model for little girls who were often brought by their parents to her campaign events. Their young daughters were able to see a bi-racial woman vying for the nation’s top job.
“When I see those little girls in particular, I see myself,” Harris said. “I see the children of my family and I see the children of our country.”