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Kamala Harris
First woman & first Black Vice President of the United States (2021–2025)
The prosecutor's daughter of immigrants who reached the second-highest office in the land.
The rise
The daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, Harris rose from district attorney to California attorney general to U.S. senator before joining the 2020 Democratic ticket.
What they did
In 2021 she became the first woman, first Black person and first person of South Asian descent to serve as U.S. Vice President, and in 2024 was the Democratic nominee for president.
The full picture
Her record as a prosecutor drew criticism from criminal-justice reformers, and she lost the 2024 election, ending her bid for the presidency.
Why it matters
Harris shattered a barrier at the top of American government, extending the path opened by Chisholm and Obama.
“You may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not the last.”