Raised by a single mum and fighting for justice: Everything we know about Kamala Harris.

Kamala Harris will make history this week when she takes the oath of office to become the next Vice President of the United States.

The 56-year-old will be the first woman, woman of colour and South Asian American to hold the role.

Harris became Vice President-elect in November when Joe Biden was declared the winner of the US election last year.

"We did it, we did it Joe," Harris told Biden over the phone while calling to congratulate him on their victory.

"You're going to be the next President of the United States."

View this post on Instagram

We did it, @JoeBiden.

A post shared by  Kamala Harris (@kamalaharris) on Nov 7, 2020 at 9:27am PST"

It's not the first time Harris has made history.

She was also the first Black woman and Asian American person to grace a major presidential party debate, appearing in October's vice presidential debate against current VP Mike Pence.

The debate was recognised for its much more civil tone than the first presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, with Harris and Pence less inclined to interrupt or speak over each other.

And besides a rogue fly, which took up residence on Pence's head for more than two minutes, one of the most discussed moments came with Harris' calm yet firm response to Pence attempting to interrupt her.

"I'm speaking, I'm speaking," she told him.

Kamala Harris had no patience for Mike Pence's interruptions during the #VPdebate.

"Mr. Vice President, I am speaking," she reminded him on multiple occasions. pic.twitter.com/HOjbuUGmc7

— Vox (@voxdotcom) October 8, 2020

Harris was also the first Black woman and Asian American to run on a major presidential ticket in the US, when Joe Biden announced her as his running mate in August last year. 

I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris — a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants — as my running mate.

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 11, 2020

To get you up to speed: Harris believes in Medicare for all, the dismantling of systemic racism in America, the protection of marriage equality and LGBTIQ rights, abortion rights, and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

But more importantly, the 56-year-old joined a race fought beneath the backdrop of a racial reckoning and a pandemic that's brought America to its knees. 

Harris' ethnic, racial and cultural biography represents a unique slice of the US population that's never been represented in the White House before.

"Black women and women of colour have long been under-represented in elected office and in November we have an opportunity to change that. Let's get to work," she wrote on Twitter after her appointment was announced.

"He'll build an America that lives up to our ideals," she added, on Biden.

.@JoeBiden can unify the American people because he's spent his life fighting for us. And as president, he'll build an America that lives up to our ideals.

I'm honored to join him as our party's nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief.

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 11, 2020

Here's everything you need to know about the woman who will be America's next vice president. 

She was raised by a single mother in a multicultural community.

Harris was born to immigrant parents, an Indian-born mother and a Jamaican-born father, in Oakland, California.

Her parents divorced when she was seven, and she and her sister Maya were raised predominately by their mother, a cancer researcher and civil rights activist. 

They lived in an apartment in a working-class neighbourhood that was primarily African-American. She grew up attending both the black Baptist church and a Hindu temple.

View this post on Instagram

I’m the daughter of a mother who broke down all kinds of barriers. Shyamala Harris was no more than five feet tall, but if you ever met her you would think she was seven feet tall. She had such spirit and tenacity and I’m thankful every day to have been raised by her. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers, stepmothers, and mother figures near or far who are celebrating today.

A post shared by  Kamala Harris (@kamalaharris) on May 10, 2020 at 5:36am PDT

"My mother understood very well that she was raising two black daughters," she wrote 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."

It worked, and as she told Asian Week in 2003: "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."

She met her husband on a blind date and has two stepchildren.

Harris met her husband, Los Angeles lawyer Douglas Emhoff on a blind date in Chicago.

They married in 2014, honouring one another's cultural traditions with a flower garland placed around Emhoff's neck, as is common in Indian weddings, and the breaking of a glass at the end of the service to mark Emhoff's Jewish heritage. 

Emhoff has two children from a previous marriage, Ella, who's studying design, and Cole, who's a graduate of Colorado College. 

According to OprahMag, they affectionately call Harris "Momala". 

Happy Birthday @KamalaHarris⁩! You are always there for us with a big hug, bright smile, infectious laugh and just the right words, all with delicious food and an amazing soundtrack! We love you so so much (and are VERY proud of you)! Doug, Cole & Ella. pic.twitter.com/7evystcTz1

— Douglas Emhoff (@douglasemhoff) October 20, 2018

"I love my husband," Harris once told Now This. "He is funny. He is kind. He is patient. He loves my cooking. He's just a really great guy."

Emhoff is fiercely supportive of his wife's political career and made a name for himself on her campaign trail for his affection and positivity. 

He's even earned himself a mini fan club who post under the hashtag #DougHive.

I’ve got you. As always.❤️ pic.twitter.com/5OJDT3cDfw

— Douglas Emhoff (@douglasemhoff) December 3, 2019

Harris went from top prosecutor, to district attorney, to politics.

After graduating with a law degree, Harris shocked her family with her decision to use her qualifications to become a prosecutor. 

Growing up, she saw the impact of law enforcement on disadvantaged populations and wanted to use the law to protect the vulnerable and correct imbalances of power. 

In 1990, she took a job as a prosecutor with Alameda County in northern California. She specialised in child sex abuse trials and domestic violence cases.

Harris started her career as a prosecutor, before becoming a district attorney, attorney general and finally American senator. Image: The Mercury News/Getty. 

She went on to work with career criminals, and family and children services, before becoming San Francisco's first ever female and African American district attorney in 2003.

In 2005, she introduced a program called "Back on Track" which offered low-level drug traffickers job training, life skill building and the chance to avoid prison. Two years after it launched, just 10 per cent of graduates had re-offended. 

In 2011, she became the first female, African American and South Asian attorney general of California, and after five years in that role she was sworn in as the second African American woman and first South Asian American senator in US history in 2017. 

LISTEN: The Quicky looks into the past and the future of this fascinating woman. Post continues after podcast.

Her takedown of Biden.

Since her election into the US Senate, Harris has been praised for her questioning of the Trump administration, the then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, and her campaigning for issues of racial injustice. 

In early 2019, she launched her candidacy for president in front of a 20,000 strong crowd in her home state of California. 

Harris launched her own candidacy for president in early 2019, but pulled out of the race by December. Image: Mason Trinca/Getty. 

Throughout her campaign she repeatedly clashed with Biden during the primary election debates, including one particular take down where she criticised him for the "civil" working relationship he had with former senators who favoured racial segregation. 

WATCH: Harris's speech here. Post continues after video.

While her bid was met with initial enthusiasm, she failed to articulate a clear rationale for her campaign, and by December she'd pulled out of the race citing a lack of financial resources as her reason for not continuing.

"I’m not a billionaire. I can’t fund my own campaign,” she said in a video explaining her decision to drop out. "And as the campaign has gone on, it has become harder and harder to raise the money we need to compete. In good faith, I can’t tell you, my supporters and volunteers, that I have a path forward if I don’t believe I do."

For four months, Biden's camp had spent time deciding on his running mate, before finally announcing his decision in August last year. 

"Big news," Biden said in an emailed message to supporters. "I've chosen Kamala Harris as my running mate. Together, with you, we're going to beat Trump."

In an Instagram upload, Biden cited Harris's working relationship with his late son, which many are speculating helped sway his decision.

View this post on Instagram

I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris — a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants — as my running mate. Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau. I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse. I was proud then, and I'm proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign.

A post shared by  Joe Biden (@joebiden) on Aug 11, 2020 at 1:27pm PDT

What she stands for.

Here's a quick fire round on where Harris stands on key issues. 

• Climate change: She thinks action is needed to combat climate change. As California's attorney general she launched an investigation into reports that an oil and gas giant had lied for decades about the risks they posed and criticised Trump for pulling out of the Paris climate accord. 
• Education: She wants free education to be available at public colleges and universities. 

Democratic presidential candidates former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris after a Democratic Presidential Debate in September, 2019. Image: Win McNamee/Getty. 

• Guns: She wants assault rifles and the sale of high capacity magazines banned.
• Healthcare: She wants "Medicare for all". 
• Immigration: She's opposed to a border wall and wants to "start from scratch" with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement policies. 
• Social issues: She wants abortion and same-sex marriage to remain legal. 
• Afghanistan: She wants to end the war and bring troops home.
• Death penalty: She wants to abolish it.

The criticisms.

Soon after Harris' appointment as Vice President nominee last year, Trump released a schmick 30-second political advertisement denouncing Harris and everything she stands for.

The ad said she "called for trillions in new taxes," "attacked Joe Biden for racist policies," and has already been voted out of the race because voters spotted a "phony". 

Trump's smear campaign went on to label his Democratic opponents "Slow Joe and Phony Kamala: perfect together, wrong for America". 

pic.twitter.com/jXoffXyZed

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 11, 2020

In a press conference he made the comment, "She was very, very nasty to... Joe Biden. She was very disrespectful to Joe Biden."

After the vice presidential debate, Trump insulted Harris as "a monster".

"This monster that was on stage with Mike Pence, who destroyed her last night by the way, but this monster, she says no no there won’t be fracking, everything she said is a lie," Trump said in an interview with Fox Business.

He continued, labelling her "horrible", "totally unlikeable" and a "communist".

But as political scientist Ian Bremmer pointed out, Biden had the guts to back the person who "landed the most solid punch against him in the primary. Respect."

Biden goes with Kamala Harris, the person who landed the most solid punch against him in the primary.

Respect.

— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) August 11, 2020

In August, the New York Times ran a story which stated Harris "had the opportunity to do something about police accountability" as the city’s district attorney. But she "was either not visible, or when she was, she was on the wrong side."

Criticisms like these, the Times noted, have led progressives to ask: "Is Harris essentially a political pragmatist, or has she in fact changed?"

"Kamala is a cop" became a common refrain on her campaign trail, spoiling her attempts to win over the more liberal Democratic base during the primaries, as she faced repeated attacks for "not being progressive enough."

In an op-ed, University of San Francisco law professor Lara Bazelon wrote that Harris has largely dodged progressive fights involving issues like police reform, drug reform and wrongful convictions.

What's America think?

Former US president Barack Obama has hailed his former vice president's running mate selection saying "Joe Biden nailed this decision".

"By choosing Senator Kamala Harris as America's next vice president, he's underscored his own judgment and character," Obama added.

I’ve known Senator @KamalaHarris for a long time. She is more than prepared for the job. She’s spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake. This is a good day for our country. Now let’s go win this thing. pic.twitter.com/duJhFhWp6g

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 11, 2020

Obama called Harris an "ideal partner to help him tackle the very real challenges America faces right now and in the years ahead".

Climate activist Al Gore also praised the choice as a "victory for those who care about combating the climate crisis".

.@JoeBiden has selected an extraordinary running mate in @kamalaharris! Kamala has made climate and environmental justice a top priority in her career in public service, and I know she will continue to be a strong advocate in the White House. #BidenHarris2020

— Al Gore (@algore) August 11, 2020

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti praised his "dear friend" and a true ally for people "who have needed a voice within the corridors of power".

Congratulations to my dear friend and our next Vice President, @KamalaHarris. She is passionate. She is powerful. She is brilliant. She is compassionate. Kamala will help @JoeBiden unite the American people, restore our nation's soul, and rebuild our country.

— Eric Garcetti (@ericgarcetti) August 11, 2020

Celebrities also previously expressed their thoughts on social media. 

"Finally a Presidential ticket that looks like America!!" wrote actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner. "Now we all go to work to restore the soul of our Nation. VOTE!!!!"

Finally a Presidential ticket that looks like America!! Now we all go to work to restore the soul of our Nation. VOTE!!!!

— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) August 11, 2020

Sarah Paulson used her platform to shed light on the issue of sexist and racist terminology in news coverage of elections.

The sexist and racist political attacks on @kamalaharris have already begun. Let’s demand that the media keep these ignorant, bad-faith attacks out of their 2020 election coverage. Let her know: #WeHaveHerBack https://t.co/dbILReHQxy

— Sarah Paulson (@MsSarahPaulson) August 11, 2020

Most media polls after the VP debate awarded Harris the winner of the night.

More than half (51 per cent) of voters said Harris won, compared to 40 per cent for Pence, in POLITICO's poll.

A CNN snap poll found 59 per cent of voters said Harris won the debate.

...But the most important poll of all was the one that was confirmed across the globe in November: That democrats won the US election and in doing so, Kamala Harris would be their next Vice President. 

Feature image: Ethan Miller/Getty.