She broke ground to help other women build strong foundations

In the flashes of her personal life that come through, is where she shows glimpses of her real self, not just the lawyer and politician

- DEEPA GAHLOT

Two days from now, on October 20, Kamala Harris will celebrate her 60th birthday. At present she is the most scrutinised woman on the planet, as she stands a chance to become the next President of the United States—not just the first woman, but the first woman of colour to hold that all-powerful office.

As the first black female Vice President, and before that the first female attorney general of California, and San Francisco District Attorney, the second woman and the first Asian-African representative of California in the US Senate. She is the highest-ranking female official in US history. Considering that racism and sexism is endemic in a surprisingly conservative country—going by the constant reports of police brutality against Blacks and the ongoing debate on abortion rights—her achievements are spectacular. Even so, she is called names like “childless cat lady” by opponents, talked down to and interrupted by snide TV anchors as the recent Fox TV interview shows. But Harris, despite the dancing memes and laughing photographs in the media, is made of granite, as women have to be in the macho world of US politics; but she also knows she is more than a candidate, she is a symbol of hope for millions of women around the world.

There are quite a few books about her out now, but her 2019 memoir, The Truths We Hold: An American Journey, is once again on the best seller lists, and those who want to know who Kamala Harris is and what she stands for should read it. In the book, she mentions an incident: as the celebrations for her swearing in as San Francisco district attorney were winding down, “a man came up to me with his two young daughters. ‘I brought them here today, so that they could see what someone who looked like them could grow up to do.’”