Biden-Harris ticket aims to put a Black woman one step from the presidency

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U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, the American daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, is Joe Biden’s choice as his running mate. In picking Harris, Biden has put a Black woman closer to the presidency than ever before in U.S. history.

Before Harris won Biden’s veepstakes, she was his competitor for the Democratic presidential nomination – one of many Black women to seek the highest office in the land. Sharon Austin, a political scientist at the University of Florida, writes these candidates have aimed high, but been defeated by enormous financial barriers and a disheartening history of political exclusion.

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Catesby Holmes

International Editor

Kamala Harris, a U.S. senator from California, endorsed Joe Biden for president in March. Now she is his vice presidential nominee. Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images

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Biden-Harris ticket aims to put a Black woman one step from the presidency

Before Kamala Harris became Biden’s running mate, Shirley Chisholm and other Black women aimed for the White House

Politics + Society

With Harris pick, Biden reaches out to young Black Americans

Don’t expect Biden’s pick of Kamala Harris for VP to make or break the 2020 election

Science + Technology

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COVID-19 is hitting tipped workers hard

Ethics + Religion

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