On January 20, 2021, Kamala Harris became the first female, African American, and Asian American Vice President of the United States. Three years later, she could be on the verge of more history.
Joe Biden’s unexpected decision on Sunday to drop out of the 2024 presidential race has thrust Harris, 59, into the brightest of spotlights. Biden enthusiastically offered his “full support and endorsement” for Harris to take his place as the Democratic nominee in November’s election against former President Donald Trump.
Should she secure the nomination, Harris will become the first African American woman to lead a major party ticket. So naturally, plenty of people are reacquainting themselves with Harris and her background.
A multicultural upbringing greatly inspired Harris, including her religious beliefs. Here’s what you need to know about the VP’s faith.
Kamala Harris is Baptist
Harris said in an interview with Interfaith Youth Core that her “faith journey” started when she was young. “On Sundays, my mother would dress my sister, Maya, and me in our Sunday best and send us off to the 23rd Avenue Church of God in Oakland, California, where Maya and I sang in the children’s choir,” Harris told the publication. “That’s where I formed some of my earliest memories of the Bible’s teachings. It’s where I learned that ‘faith’ is a verb and that we must live it, and show it, in action.”
She grew up in an interfaith household
Harris’ mother was Hindu, and her father was Christian. She grew up attending services at a Black Baptist church and a Hindu temple, USA Today reported.
Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, is Jewish
Harris met husband Doug Emhoff on a blind date in 2013, and the couple tied the knot a year later. She is a stepmother to Emhoff’s two children from a prior relationship, son Cole and daughter Ella.
According to America Magazine, the couple smashed a glass as part of the traditional Jewish custom at their wedding. Harris told Interfaith Youth Core that she shares “Jewish traditions and celebrations” with Emhoff at home. “From all of these traditions and teachings, I’ve learned that faith is not only something we express in church and prayerful reflection, but also in the way we live our lives, do our work and pursue our respective callings,” she said.
She was sworn in to the Senate on her family Bible
Prior to becoming Vice President, Harris represented California in the U.S. Senate starting in January 2017.
During her 2020 campaign, rumors began circulating that Harris had refused to be sworn in to the Senate on a Bible, but that’s inaccurate. She used a family Bible for the occasion, noting that it was “well-worn,” per USA Today. “All right, that’s a good way to do it,” then-Vice President Biden said.
She tapped into her faith on the campaign trail
In August 2019, Harris used parallels between what she hoped to achieve in politics and her faith. “Jesus tells us how we should define neighbor,” she said during a speech. “Jesus tells us, your neighbor is not just the person who lives next door, who drives the kind of car you drive, the person shares your zip code. Jesus tells us your neighbor is that man by the side of the road who you walk by, who has faced hardship.”
Harris’ beliefs have also influenced her position regarding women’s reproductive rights. In July 2022, she held a roundtable meeting with faith leaders in Los Angeles to discuss the importance that “health care decisions are made by women without government interference, and the need to work together as a coalition to safeguard this right.”
Harris goes to church regularly
Prior to her election in 2020, Harris’ base church was the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco. The church’s pastor, Rev. Amos Brown, told the Associated Press that Harris is a “spiritual person” and “quintessential scholar.”
Harris told Interfaith Youth Core that church has been a place where she “draws strength” and reflects. “I also draw something else from it as well: a sense of community and belonging where we can build lasting relationships and be there for one another in times of need,” she said.
