Kamala Harris officially becomes the first Black and South Asian woman on a major presidential party ticket

(Image credit: Handout/DNCC via Getty Images)

published 20 August 2020

Kamala Harris officially became the first Black and South Asian woman ever nominated to a major presidential party ticket on Wednesday night when she accepted the Democratic vice-presidential nomination. The daughter of an Indian mother and Jamaican father, Harris additionally is the first child of two immigrants to ever be nominated as vice president of the United States.

"I am committed to the values [my mother] taught me, to the word that teaches me to walk by faith, and not by sight, and to a vision passed on through generations of Americans — one that Joe Biden shares," Harris said. "A vision of our nation as a beloved community — where all are welcome, no matter what we look like, where we come from, or who we love. A country where we may not agree on every detail, but we are united by the fundamental belief that every human being is of infinite worth, deserving of compassion, dignity and respect."

Harris, who was a sharp critic of Biden's during the Democratic primaries, stressed that "we must elect a president who will bring something different, something better, and do the important work. A president who will bring all of us together — Black, White, Latino, Asian, Indigenous — to achieve the future we collectively want. We must elect Joe Biden."