Jamaican American Senator Kamala Harris is Embraced by Indian and African American Communities

 

Yesterday the unthinkable happened. No I’m not talking about president-elect Trump’s unexpected and much lamented win. Yes, we missed out on making history by electing the first woman as President of the United States, but history was still made yesterday, and her name is Senator Kamala Harris.

“The Attorney General’s announcement certainly excites me as an Indian-American, and as a Californian,” said Ash Kalra, a San Jose Councilmember, to NBC News. “To have such an outstanding public servant be the first to represent the community in such a powerful and prestigious position is something we all should be proud of as Americans.”

Kamala Harris is the daughter of immigrant families from India and Jamaica, making her the first Indian American, and the second black woman ever elected to the United States Senate, having won 63% of the vote. She succeeds 75 year old Barbara Boxer who was elected in 1992. She’s no stranger to firsts. Harris is the first female, the first African-American, the first Asian-American, and the first Indian-American attorney general in California.  Senator Harris graduated from Howard University, a mecca for immigrants of color, especially Caribbean Americans, including my mother and father.

She married Douglas Emhoff in 2014. She is now step mom to his two children from a previous relationship. One child is in high school and the other is in college.