US Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Tuesday picked Senator Kamal Harris as his vice-presidential running mate.
It is a big moment as she is the first Black woman and first Indian American person to run for the second-highest position of the US government on a major party's presidential ticket.
Daughter of immigrant parents
Born in Oakland, California, Kamala Harris is the daughter of two immigrants parents- Jamaica-born father and India born mother.
After her parents' divorce, Harris and her sister were raised by her mother in Hindu culture, often joining her mother on visits to India.
However, Harris says that from early on, her mother adopted Oakland's black culture and decided to raise her two daughters as proud black girls.
"My mother understood very well that she was raising two black daughters," BBC reported Harris writing in her autobiography The Truths We Hold. "She knew that her adopted homeland would see Maya and me as black girls and she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident, proud black women."
The first woman attorney general of California
Harris's mother who was a cancer researcher and a civil rights activist ensured that her girls go on to get a good education. Harris then went on to attend Howard University, the US's one of the most preeminent historically black universities.
Harris later completed her law degree from the University of California and gradually went on to become California's first woman and first black person to serve as the attorney general.
During nearly two terms as California attorney general, Harris gained the reputation of a tough prosecutor and soon became one of the Democratic party's rising stars. And in 2017, she won the election to the US senate.
Brett Kavanaugh & William Barr Senate hearing
In Washington, she continued her spectacular rise and became Democrats favourite after she grilled Trump picked Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Attorney General William Barr in Senate hearings. She established herself as a formidable prosecutor.
Running & backing out of the presidential campaign
Last year in 2019, she decided to run for the post of US president and launched her candidacy. Owing to her popularity, 20,000 people had attended the rally where she announced her candidature.
But over time due to several factors, including her infirm and certain policy stance and presence of other competitive candidates, she decided to suspend her campaign in December 2019. But it didn't happen before she had a testy debate with Joe Biden.
During the second night of the primary debate, harris outshined Joe Biden and every other candidate with her debate prowess and challenging Biden over his remarks about working with segregationist senators and his agreement with the policy of school bussing.
However, the short-lived lead gave way when in later debates Harris failed to specify her position on various crucial policy issues and backed out of the race.
Biden picks Harris his running mate
Of the many reasons, the one prominent reason why Joe Biden picked Harris, is said to be her brutal handling of Republicans backed candidates, which many believe, Harris has proven many times, and which Trump still complain.
"I thought she was the meanest, the most horrible most disrespectful of anybody in the U.S. Senate," Donald Trump had said while addressing Harris' exchanges with SC Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing.
