"I grew up with a strong Indian culture, and I was raised
in a black community," she says. "All my friends were
black and we got together and cooked Indian food and painted
henna on our hands, and I never felt uncomfortable with my cultural
background."
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris was born October 20, 1964 in Oakland and raised in Berkeley is
the daughter of prominent breast cancer specialist Dr. Shyamala
Gopalan, a Tamilian who move to US in 1960 and Donald Harris,
a Jamaican, professor of economics at Stanford University.
Kamala Harris an Indian American attorney has been voted as
San Francisco District Attorney. She would assume the office
from January 8, 2004 and would be the first Indian American
district attorney in the state history. Hallinan, who was first
elected as the city´s top prosecutor in 1995, will be
out of public office for the first time in 15 years.
Her parents separated when Kamala was five, but she and her
sister Maya Lakshmi, were brought up jointly and imbibed Indian,
American and Caribbean traditions. Both her parents were active
in the civil rights movement, an influence that apparently led
Kamala to Howard University, America's oldest black university,
and then to Hastings College of the Law. Her sister is also
an attorney.
Kamala went to Howard University, America’s oldest black
university, and then to Hastings College of the Law where she
graduated in 1990. A former Deputy District Attorney in San
Francisco and Alameda County, Kamala has thirteen years of courtroom
experience. She currently serves as a San Francisco Deputy City
Attorney, where she is Chief of the Community and Neighborhood
Division.
Biography
“top-flight prosecutor” – San Francisco Chronicle
“a longtime champion for juvenile rights” –
San Francisco Examiner
Kamala D. Harris, 38, is a veteran prosecutor who has dedicated
her outstanding legal talents to prosecuting violent crime,
combating the sexual exploitation of children and working creatively
to improve the quality of life in our communities.
A former Deputy District Attorney in San Francisco and Alameda
County, Kamala has thirteen years of courtroom experience. She
currently serves as a San Francisco Deputy City Attorney, where
she is Chief of the Community and Neighborhood Division.
Kamala was born in Oakland and raised in Berkeley. Her parents,
both professors, were active in the Civil Rights Movement and
instilled in Kamala a strong commitment to justice and public
service. That commitment led Kamala to Howard University, America’s
oldest black university, and then to Hastings College of the
Law. She graduated in 1990.
As Deputy District Attorney in Alameda County from 1990 to
1998, Kamala prosecuted hundreds of serious and violent felonies,
including homicide, rape and child sexual assault cases. Before
Louise Renne recruited her to join the City Attorney’s
office in August, 2000, Kamala was the Managing Attorney of
the Career Criminal Unit of the San Francisco District Attorney’s
office.
Throughout her career, Kamala has made youth and children a
priority. She was one of the few prosecutors in California to
stand up against Proposition 21, which has forced more young
people unnecessarily into prison. Currently, she is spearheading
a public-private task force that is pushing San Francisco to
confront the growing problem of teen-age prostitution.
Among her many community activities, Kamala is Co-Chair of
the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights; President of the Board
of Directors of Partners Ending Domestic Abuse; elected member
of the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Bar Association;
and founder of an SF Museum of Modern Art mentoring program
which has served hundreds of young people from the inner city.
Kamala has been recognized many times for the excellence of
her work. For her work on behalf of youth, Kamala received an
award from Crime Victims United. In 1998, she was named by the
Daily Journal as one of the top 20 young lawyers in the State
of California. Most recently, she earned an award from the County
Counsel Association of California for her work granting gay
couples equal rights in child adoption cases.
Kamala Harris,
San Francisco Deputy City Attorney
(Mother Indian & Jamaican father)
Challenger Kamala Harris
beat incumbent Terence Hallinan to become San Francisco's new
district attorney.
With 100% of precincts reporting, Harris
had 56% of the vote, compared to Hallinan's 44%.
Harris acknowledges that her job is a tough one. She sees some
of the most disadvantaged people in The City -- children who
are victims of abuse, rape, incest.
"I've dealt with many child assault cases, in which these
children were runaways because their fathers, uncles, mothers'
boyfriends sexually abused them," says Harris. "And
many of these kids develop post-traumatic stress disorder and
many of these victims find ways to self-medicate, to dull the
trauma and pain."
Harris has looked within her own family to find the inspiration
and passion that drives her to fight for womens' and childrens'
rights. The daughter of a South Asian mother and a Jamaican
father, Harris was brought up in an environment full of support
and surprise.
"My mother is the original feminist," Harris says.
"Which is quite fascinating since she is South Asian."In
the 1940s, Harris' grandmother drove around in a VW bug in India
with a bullhorn telling village women to get birth control.
"I mean, when I heard that, that blew my mind,"
says Harris laughing. "Even though my grandma had an arranged
marriage when she was 12, she and my grandfather were very open-minded
people."
The women in Harris' family aren't necessarily rebels, but
rather very independent women who are true to themselves, according
to Harris."My mother fell in love with my father, a black
man, and she didn't have an arranged marriage, which my grandparents
at first weren't too happy with," she says. "Then
she divorced my father when I was 7 years old and my sister,
Maya Lakshmi, was 5."
Harris grew up in Berkeley and attended Thousand Oaks Elementary
School. Her classmate in the first, second and third grades
was San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin.
Harris says she's blessed with having been exposed to Asian,
black and American cultures as a child. She remembers going
to a Buddhist temple at the crack of dawn, only to attend service
at a Baptist church later in the morning.
"I grew up with a strong Indian culture, and I was raised
in a black community," she says. "All my friends were
black and we got together and cooked Indian food and painted
henna on our hands, and I never felt uncomfortable with my cultural
background."
Harris attended high school in Montreal, received her undergraduate
degree at Howard University and law degree at Hastings Law School.
She worked for Hallinan for two years after he recruited her
from the Alameda District Attorney's Office. Two years ago,
former city attorney Louise Renne asked Harris to join her office,
and Harris has been there ever since.
Still early in the race, Harris has garnered big name endorsements
from Mayor Willie Brown, Supervisors Peskin, Fiona Ma and Sophie
Maxwell and Assemblymen Leland Yee and Mark Leno.
"I'm running because San Francisco deserves a first class
D.A.'s office," Harris says. "We deserve better. In
Terence Hallinan's mind, he believes he's done a good job, but
why not have the best office? I'm not looking to run against
him, to run against his office, but I'm looking to improve the
office."
