After months of anticipation, the presumptive Democratic candidate Joe Biden announced that his pick for vice president in the presidential race is the junior U.S. senator Kamala Harris.

Senator Harris will join Biden in the race to unseat Donald Trump and his VP Mike Pence, who will be running for a second term in the upcoming elections planned for November.

This is an unprecedented decision for the US: if Biden wins the elections, Harris will be the first woman, first Black person and first Asian American to hold the position in the history of the United States. But who is Kamala Harris? And what advantages will she bring if elected? Here’s everything you need to know about her life.

Kamala Devi Harris was born in Oakland, California to an Indian mother and a Jamaican father. She grew up in Berkley where she attended an all-white elementary school in the midst of the second year of integration. After her parents’ divorce, Kamala moved to Montreal, Canada with her mother and continued her studies. Following high school, Harris attended Howard University, a prestigious Black college in Washington, D.C. where she specialised in political science and economics. She then pursued her studies in law in San Francisco where, once successfully passing the Bar, Kamala became a lawyer.

For the past two decades, Harris has dedicated her life to public matters showing her interest in the political agenda. In 2004, Kamala was the first Black female District Attorney to be elected for San Francisco where she focused on cases involving the abuse and the neglect of children. Yet, only six years later, she made history again becoming the first Black woman to be elected California’s Attorney General where she worked on defending the state’s climate change law, legalising gay marriage and ‘Open Justice’, an online platform to make criminal justice data available to the public. Her work in California drew the attention of President Barack Obama who she had previously endorsed during the 2012 elections. According to POLITICO, some advocates claim that ‘Harris didn’t do enough to address police brutality while she was attorney general, especially after she refused to investigate the police shootings of two Black men in 2014 and 2015.’

In 2016, Harris won her U.S Senate race and worked on sponsoring bills that would ensure migrant’s rights are protected as well as supporting survivors of sexual harassment. She was praised for her astonishing accomplishments until then, with some newspapers referring to her as ‘the female Obama’. That same year, she voiced her opposition to many of Trump’s policies following his election. In 2017, she went viral on social media for her sharp questioning of Trump’s supreme court judge nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who was accused of sexual assault by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.

Kamila Harris, Brett Kavanaugh via Click On Detroit | Local 4 | WDIV Youtube Channel

Last year, Harris announced her intention to run as a presidential candidate for the Democrat nominee for 2020 and was supported by many notable people, including Reese Witherspoon, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, and Demi Lovato. During her time as a candidate, Harris was imitated on Saturday Night Live by actress Maya Rudolph. Unfortunately, due to a lack of funds, she pulled out of the race in early December. Later in March, Kamala showed her support for Biden: ‘I believe in Joe. I really believe in him, and I have known him for a long time,’ she stated in her announcement.

Maya Rudolph, Kamala Harris via Washington Post Youtube Channel

This year’s elections could represent a new achievement not only for Harris but also for the United States. Her role in the presidential race could represent a threat to Trump’s plans who is becoming more and more worried about his future in this unique elections. Words by Gennaro Costanzo

Graphics by Clare Stephenson

The post Kamala Harris: Everything You Need to Know About Her Role In the US Elections appeared first on Voir Fashion.

This year has been full of unexpected and surreal events, but nothing could’ve prepared us for the latest news: Kanye West is apparently running for President of the United States.

During the celebrations of the 4th of July, the rapper and fashion designer announced his bid for the presidency in the 2020 election with a tweet in which he states: ‘We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States.’ The tweet was closed with the hashtag and the American flag emoji.

In just a couple of hours, many took to social media to either mock, examine or support the controversial tweet from West, making it one of the trending topics on Twitter.

While Kim Kardashian West’s reaction was to repost her husband’s announcement on her social media, Kanye’s statement received the approval of fellow billionaire Elon Musk. The 43-year-old rapper was recently captured with Musk in a glamour shot following the announcement of his partnership with Gap for his own Yeezy clothing line. The Tesla CEO wrote in a tweet: ‘You have my full support!’.

West had already shown interest in the presidential elections in the past: at the 2015 MTV VMAs, he declared his intention to participate in the race and reaffirmed it numerous times, stating that he would make a definitive bid for the White House in 2024.

Since Trump’s elections, both Kanye and Kim have spent time close to the White House. The rapper was also seen many times wearing the infamous red MAGA hat in support of President Trump, as well as being photographed with him at various public events.

Most people remain skeptical about his decision. There is much evidence to suggest that Kanye is not entirely serious: with no more than six months before the general election, it is simply too late for him to enter the Democratic primaries. And as revealed by Bloomberg, Kanye doesn’t appear to have filed any forms with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that would enable him to self-candidate for the office.

Between the speculation of a new album promotion cycle and votes manipulation, people will just have to wait and see. With the pandemic as background, the news of a possible new candidate have made 2020 even more bizarre and ‘surprising’ to say the least.

Words by Gennaro Costanzo

Graphics by Georgia Walters

The post Kanye West Is to Run For President, Take Two appeared first on Voir Fashion.