Kamala Harris – Childhood Friend Reveals Hidden Sides

The streets outside the Yellow House on Bancroft Way in Berkeley are still lined with crayons:

“Congratulations, Madam Vice President!”, “We did it!”. “VP Harris” written in a pink heart.

It has been almost a week since Joe Biden’s election victory was announced, and 56-year-old Kamala Harris became the first woman to be elected vice president.

When the news came, dancing and cheers broke out in the street. He did it in a lot of other places too, but Berkeley they celebrated a bit more.

It was here, in the poorest parts of the city, where the inhabitants were mostly black, that Kamala Harris was boarded on the bus to take her to school in the north of the city. Where the whites lived.

“Proven that there are opportunities”

It was in the early 70’s, but the differences between the areas are still visible today:

One area has simpler houses. More worn.

In the second zone, the houses are bigger, the plots more beautiful. Even the trees seem taller and more prosperous.

Now, Kamala Harris’s trip, that is, the one from Washington, leaves a deep impression on Berkeley residents.

– She has shown that there are opportunities. If she can do it, others can do things like this. That she is a woman and of color and has done it, is historical. That’s why it’s important, says Berkeley barista TeeJay Ivy, 23.

Even in the affluent areas of North Berkeley, there was resounding applause last Saturday.

Lu Hodges, 43, sat down to watch Kamala Harris’s speech from Wilmington on television with her daughter, who had just turned seven. In the speech, Kamala Harris urged children to dream big: “dream with ambition.”

– It was recorded on my daughter, so we talked about what it meant. And it matters. If you get the job done, it can go a long way. Barack did the work, Kamala did the work. If you want to get somewhere, you have to do the work. My daughter was so absorbed that she started writing her own letters to Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, and she wanted to tell them what she was thinking, says Hodges.

Or as the world’s most influential black woman (so far) puts it, media billionaire Oprah Winfrey:

– Its importance to the women of the world is so exceptional. For women here in the United States, it is not even possible to measure. Seeing someone who looks like yourself in a role like this, then you see what’s possible, Winfrey told People after the election victory.

Kamala Harris’s Friend on Election Victory: Surreal

For Debbie Mesloh, 51, it’s no wonder what Kamala Harris is capable of. Mesloh met Harris in California’s political turn around the turn of the millennium and soon worked on the Kamala Harris campaigns. He was part of the team from the time Harris ran for district attorney in 2003 through the 2016 senatorial race, and has come to know the future vice president as an almost unstoppable force at work and a close friend. abroad.

– It was surreal to see your good friend and mentor make this historic leap. But I have seen this determination and drive in Kamala, and the courage that has helped her overcome all obstacles. So I was not surprised.

– She has always been at the forefront of history: when she was a district attorney, when she became a state attorney in California, when she became a senator, in all those careers she broke barriers and created history. But doing it at this level … I’m delighted that the country is ready for Kamala now. That is just the beginning now. And Kamala knows it, says Debbie Mesloh.

This is how Harris was affected by his education.

Kamala Harris lived in the Yellow House in Berkeley with her mother Shyamala and her sister Maya. The parents divorced when the sisters were young. The years and experiences of Berkeley have shaped the life and work of Kamala Harris. Both parents were successful academics. But they were still different.

– There were situations in which she could see that she and her mother felt invisible or that they did not tell. Therefore, he always wants to encourage people who do not have those contributions to decision-making or power. That was one of the reasons he applied for that first job. And that’s why he became a prosecutor. These are positions of power, where you have influence over many people. So why shouldn’t we have people who reflect the societies they affect? says Debbie Mesloh.

How would you describe her as a friend?

– She is very funny and likes to have fun. She’s creative and gets an outlet through cooking, it’s like showing her love for friends and family. He talks a lot about Sunday dinners with Doug and the kids. It’s like a big event. She had them for many years before meeting Doug too, then many friends came to her house.

– He loves music, if you are ever in a car or at his house, then music is always essential. He likes all kinds of music. She believes in training, starting the day the right way. She is also weak to sweets! Not an afternoon goes by without her having chocolate or a cake or something. These are all things I appreciate about her, says Mesloh, who receives the Express at her home on the Pacific coast south of San Francisco.

Speaking of Doug: Kamala Harris invested heavily in her career, and perhaps her private life was left behind. Was that something you talked about?

– This is something that applies to many women, especially along the coasts. They marry later. They want to contribute in many different ways, professionally and personally. Kamala’s story isn’t unique, she just didn’t meet the right person until later in life. She was picky, I can say that! She was really expecting a partner who would love her for who she was, support her, and get into the relationship equally.

In her book, Kamala Harris writes about how a friend, without asking, had given Kamala’s phone number to a “cute boy” in Los Angeles, with whom she insisted that Kamala Harris go on a date. Furthermore, the friend demanded that Kamala Harris not Google him first.

“Some of me groaned, but at the same time I appreciated Chrisette’s take-over attitude. /… / As a single professional woman in her 40s, in a very public role, it wasn’t easy dating. a man to an event, people would immediately start speculating about our relationship. “

A few days later, a text message, which Harris described as awkward, came from this guy. “Hey! It’s Doug. I just wanted to say hi! I’m at a Lakers game.”

They spoke on the phone the next day and decided to meet in Los Angeles this weekend.

– Doug was very different, from the first time he met him. He was divorced and his way of communicating was… completely open. He said after the first date – a “blind date” – that “I like you, this is when I get a chance to meet again, I don’t have time to play any games, I don’t want to play games.” And I think the first week or so, with her response, in that way, affected her, says Debbie Mesloh.

They met in 2010 and were married in 2014. Doug Emhoff already had two children, Cole and Ella.

– I remember the first time she met Doug’s kids and she said “I was really nervous.” It’s very important to her to be a good stepmother and to be part of this modern family, which includes Doug’s ex-wife, says Debbie Mesloh.

Doug Emhoff also gets historic: he becomes the first man to endorse a woman at the highest political summit in the United States. Among other things, he has been seen with Joe Biden’s wife, Jill Biden, and was with Kamala Harris at several major rallies.

– Doug is a very warm person, charismatic, he has his own personality in the campaign, and he really likes to travel the country and meet people. I believe that he will be a fantastic first “second gentleman” and a role model for all the men who will follow in his footsteps.