Top 10 Times Kamala Harris Was Awesome

Top 10 Times Kamala Harris Was Awesome

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 times Kamala Harris was awesome.

For this list, we’ll be looking at this American Vice President-Elect’s best moments throughout her career and life so far.

Did you learn anything new about VP Kamala Harris? Let us know in the comments below.

#10: When She Went Viral for Her Questioning Style

In 2017, Senator Harris joined the Senate Intelligence Committee for the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 elections. During the hearings, the questioning technique she used to get information from former Attorney General Jeff Sessions made headlines. Harris seemingly had no time for his rambling and used a series of quickfire questions to get past the nonsense and straight to the point. However, it turns out that Sessions doesn’t thrive under pressure and he accused her of making him “nervous”. As always in politics, her methods proved to be divisive. But many still appreciated how she commanded the room, even when others tried to interject.

#9: When She Created “OpenJustice”

During Harris’ extensive criminal justice career, she’s taken some positions that have been perceived as controversial. But an initiative she introduced as California’s Attorney General established a system that many would agree with. Harris launched “OpenJustice”, a system that provided the public access to a plethora of criminal justice data. This included injuries and fatal occurrences that took place while suspects were in police custody. Harris wanted full transparency on these issues to ensure that the police could be held accountable when necessary. The database could also be used to recognize and call-out racial bias. Although Harris’ relationship with law enforcement had been rocky in the past, this new initiative was welcomed by both police and reform advocates alike.

#8: When She Became “Momala”

While the world will soon be calling her Vice President Harris, a select few people will always call her “Momala”. After marrying her husband Doug, she became the stepmother to his two children, Ella and Cole. They decided that rather than calling her “stepmom”, they preferred the much more affectionate title, “Momala”. Harris has called her stepchildren an “endless source of love and pure joy” and clearly shares a special bond with them both. After spending a lifetime racking up career accomplishments, it looks like Harris can also add becoming “Momala” to her two wonderful stepkids to her fulfilling resume.

#7: When She Became an Author

During her thriving political career, Harris has published three books. In 2009, she released “Smart on Crime”, a non-fiction book detailing her vision for the criminal justice system. A decade later she released her memoirs, “The Truths We Hold” which was adapted into a “Young Readers Edition” for younger readership. That same year, she also released a children’s book called “Superheroes Are Everywhere”, which teaches kids to recognize and internalize the qualities that make someone a hero. So, if you want to learn more about the Vice President Elect in her own words, you’ve got several places to look.

#6: When She Called Joe Biden About the 2020 Elections

Throughout 2020, our good news usually came in the form of finding out that we beat our former record for daily steps. But for Kamala Harris, her biggest piece of good news arrived when it was announced that she was likely to become the next Vice President Elect. The clip of Harris calling Biden to say,[“We did it, Joe”] went viral as the pair celebrated their victory over the phone. She couldn't help but laugh in delight. Harris’ victory marked the start of a new era in America and launched a series of firsts for women and women of color. After sharing the video on Twitter, she reminded her followers that this is just the beginning for the Biden-Harris administration.

#5: When She Staged a Protest at the Age of 13

Although she was born in Oakland, California, Harris moved to Montreal, Canada with her mother and sister in her preteens. She attended school there from seventh grade until she graduated high school. Harris’ old friend and classmate Wanda Kagan said the Vice President Elect has “always been a fighter, even from those early days” and that she was always “sticking up for other people”. When Harris was the young age of 13, she and her younger sister Maya wanted to overturn a rule that banned children from playing on the grass. So, they staged a successful protest in front of their apartment building. Harris was clearly always destined for a career in politics.

#4: When She Supported & Officiated Same-Sex Marriage

Kamala Harris has proven herself to be an ally to the LGBTQ+ community. When she was San Francisco's District Attorney, she fought hard for marriage equality. And after Harris arrived at City Hall and saw a large crowd of people in the LGBTQ+ community waiting to be married, she was enthusiastic to help. In her memoir, she cited this gathering as the moment the “government would finally recognize their right to marry whomever they loved.” When a city official asked her to help officiate marriages, she was quickly sworn in and got to work. Sadly, soon after the marriages were invalidated by the Supreme Court. Fortunately, Harris was able to officiate another same-sex wedding in California in 2013 after Prop 8 was later ruled unconstitutional.

#3: When She Told Mike Pence Who’s Talking

We imagine most women tuning into the 2020 Vice Presidential debate were cheering in solidarity with Kamala Harris when she said to Vice-President Mike Pence [“I’m speaking.”]. Even when she was interrupted, she remained cool, calm, and composed. Harris even smiles while assertively demanding the respect she rightfully deserved. While the phrase probably didn’t take off with Pence, it did become the subject of merchandise almost instantly. Ultimately, Harris served a valuable lesson to women everywhere that they should never be afraid of taking up space in the room. If someone is being disrespectful, you have every right to make yourself heard.

#2: When She Gave an Iconic Acceptance Speech

Dressed in a white suit as a seeming tribute to Suffragists and Suffragettes, Kamala Harris honored all the women who “paved the way for this moment”. As she was met by cheers, tears, and car horns, the new Vice-President Elect thanked all the supporters who voted for the “truth”. Harris also paid tribute to the late congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis and her mother. Although her mom sadly didn’t live to see this momentous moment, she would undoubtedly be proud. Harris also had an important message for young women and girls watching, saying that “while [she] may be the first woman in this office, [she] will not be the last”.

#1: When She Made American History

Last but certainly not least, we have to talk about this earth shattering moment. When the final results of the 2020 Elections came in, glass ceilings shattered across the United States. The first woman had been elected as Vice-President. And since Harris comes from Indian and Jamaican heritage, Kamala Harris she’s also the first mixed race woman to be elected to the White House too. Meanwhile, her husband Doug Emhoff will be America’s first ever Second Gentleman. While we cannot wait to see the countless women who will follow in her footsteps in the years to come, Kamala Harris will always be the first woman and woman of color in American history to run on a successful presidential ticket.