Kamala Harris’ racial and cultural firsts were onstage throughout the Democratic convention

CHICAGO (AP) — On the night she became the first woman of Black and South Asian heritage to be a major party’s nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t explicitly mention the racial and gender firsts she would set if elected to the White House. On Thursday (Aug. 22, 2024), she opted for direct mentions of her multiracial background and upbringing. She paid tribute to her roots as the daughter of a brown woman and Caribbean man. She honored the multicultural village of “aunties” and “uncles” in California’s Bay Area. It was a way for Harris and others at the convention to display her personal story while offering a visual political message that could appeal to a broad swath of people who see themselves in families like hers.