view ·  Frequently asked questions Please read the following FAQs before posting. They are meant to familiarize you with points that have been previously addressed, though not to prevent further discussion of these issues. Q1: Why does Wikipedia say that Kamala Harris is African American/Asian American/South Asian American? A1: As an encyclopedia, Wikipedia content is based on reliable sources (see Wikipedia:Verifiability, Wikipedia:Reliable sources). Many reliable sources over a long period of time refer to Harris as African American and Asian American, so we reflect that in this article. Moreover, Harris's Senate and campaign websites state that she is African American and Asian American. In addition to describing Harris's African American and South Asian American background, this article also recounts the origins of Harris' mother (Indian) and father (Jamaican). As PolitiFact notes (see A look at Kamala Harris' multi-ethnic background and racial identity in the US, PolitiFact (August 14, 2020)), social media posts have inaccurately suggested that Harris cannot be African American because she has an Indian mother and Jamaican father, but "this is a poor understanding of history, and ... the implication that Jamaicans aren't African or connected to Africa is wrong on its face." While not all Jamaican-Americans identify as "African-American," Harris and many others do. When Wikipedia describes Harris as the "first" to do something, we default to the larger category. Therefore, she isn't the first Tamil-, Indian-, or South Asian-American to be elected Vice President of the US (although she is all of those things); instead we note, as reliable sources do, that she's the first Asian-American. Also of note is the difference between race and ethnicity. Race is grouping based on society's view. Ethnicity is grouping based on how people see themselves in common with others. Ms. Harris's race is unimportant. Her ethnicity is paramount. Using this criteria, Ms. Harris is clearly African-American and South Asian-American.

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This article has been mentioned by multiple media organizations: Aída Chávez (2 July 2020). "There's a War Going on Over Kamala Harris's Wikipedia Page, With Unflattering Elements Vanishing". The Intercept. Retrieved 2 July 2020. Eric Ting (4 July 2020). "Someone is working very hard to dress up Kamala Harris' Wikipedia page, report finds". SFGate. Retrieved 4 July 2020. Tyler Olson (6 July 2020). "Kamala Harris' Wikipedia page scrubbed of information amid veepstakes, igniting online fight". Fox News. Retrieved 6 July 2020. Emily Jacobs (7 July 2020). "Kamala Harris' Wikipedia page has been edited over 500 times amid VP rumors". New York Post. Retrieved 7 July 2020. Zachary Petrizzo (11 August 2020). "Trolls Are Currently Trying to Deface Kamala Harris' Wikipedia Page With Slurs and Other False Info". Mediaite. Retrieved 11 August 2020. Joshua Benton (13 August 2020). "The Wikipedia War Over Kamala Harris's Race". The Atlantic. Retrieved 13 August 2020. Bradley Cortright (24 January 2024). "Harris Complains About How Tall Wikipedia Says She Is". Independent Journal Review. Retrieved 26 January 2024. Johnathan Jones (24 January 2024). "Kamala Harris Bothered by How Tall Wikipedia Says She Is: 'That Is Absolutely Incorrect'". The Western Journal. Retrieved 26 January 2024. Reagan Reese (24 January 2024). "Kamala Harris Is Very Concerned About Wikipedia Trolls Making Her Look Short". The Daily Caller. Retrieved 26 January 2024.

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Section sizes Section size for Kamala Harris (55 sections) Section name Byte count Section total (Top) 10,436 10,436 Early life and education 25,939 25,939 Early career (1990–2004) 5,496 5,496 District Attorney of San Francisco (2004–2011) 7,426 35,088 Public safety 22 13,577 Non-violent crimes 5,603 5,603 Violent crimes 7,952 7,952 Reform efforts 23 14,085 Death penalty 4,040 4,040 Recidivism and re-entry initiative 6,309 6,309 Truancy initiative 3,713 3,713 Attorney General of California (2011–2017) 51 86,852 Elections 67 9,486 2010 6,557 6,557 2014 2,862 2,862 Consumer protection 28 22,508 Fraud, waste, and abuse 17,706 17,706 Privacy rights 4,774 4,774 Criminal justice reform 32 5,515 Launch of Division of Recidivism Reduction and Re-Entry 1,722 1,722 Wrongful convictions and prison overcrowding 3,761 3,761 LGBT rights 20 12,351 Prop 8 opposition 4,435 4,435 Gay and trans panic defense ban 1,341 1,341 Michelle-Lael B. Norsworthy v. Jeffrey Beard et al. 6,555 6,555 Public safety 22 36,941 Anti-truancy efforts 1,961 1,961 Environmental protection 6,377 6,377 Law enforcement 8,224 8,224 Planned Parenthood 1,462 1,462 Sex crimes 8,275 8,275 Transnational criminal organizations 10,620 10,620 U.S. Senate (2017–2021) 32 42,781 Election 7,116 7,116 Tenure and political positions 91 32,480 2017 8,738 8,738 2018 7,747 7,747 2019 10,785 10,785 2020 3,909 3,909 2021 1,210 1,210 Committee assignments 2,433 2,433 Caucus memberships 720 720 2020 presidential election (2019–2020) 47 21,072 Presidential campaign 13,766 13,766 Vice presidential campaign 7,259 7,259 Vice presidency (2021–present) 17,252 17,252 Awards and honors 6,300 6,300 Personal life 7,113 7,113 Publications 703 703 See also 630 630 Notes 58 58 References 1,289 1,289 External links 206 6,462 Official 193 193 Other 6,063 6,063 Total 267,471 267,471

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I don't know where I can add a message requesting an edit to Kamala's wiki page, but I would like one of the mods to add a hyperlink to the 2010 California Attorney General's election that is in the second paragraph: "Born in Oakland, California, Harris graduated from Howard University and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She began her career in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, before being recruited to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office and later the City Attorney of San Francisco's office. In 2003, she was elected district attorney of San Francisco. She was elected Attorney General of California in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. Can you link 2010 to the 2010 Attorney General's election? Thanks, Rhein Amacher, Tue May 10th 8:01 PM PST. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Rhein Amacher ( talk • contribs) 03:01, 11 May 2022 (UTC) reply

This section is pinned and will not be automatically archived.

The consensus version for describing KH's achievement is the first female vice president of the US, the first African-American, and the first Asian-American. I'm on vacation until mid-February 2021. Admins valereee, MelanieN, Drmies, Muboshgu please note and restore; otherwise, the "ethnic" sub-nationalists and trolls will have a field day. Best regards, Fowler&fowler «Talk» 14:20, 11 November 2020 (UTC) reply

I concur this is the consensus version and I have restored it. "First female" is the first sentence since it is the most reported and most historic. "First African-American and first Asian-American" is the second sentence. Terms like South Asian-American, Jamaican-American, and (per the one I just replaced) Caribbean-American and should not be added without a new discussion and a new consensus. -- MelanieN ( talk) 17:00, 11 November 2020 (UTC) reply

The edits I made did not contradict the overall achievement of Harris being the "First African-American and first Asian-American" Vice President, it simply provided further accurate and separate cited detail regards her own personal family's ancestry. Though I can see the FAQ, I do Respectfully request that someone please guide me to where consensus was actually reached not to include this information. ~ BOD ~ ^TALK 17:27, 11 November 2020 (UTC) reply

Bodney, archives, linked at top of page. —valereee ( talk) 18:33, 11 November 2020 (UTC) reply

I was unable to spot the RfC in the archives, I now have thanks (maybe a simple specific wiki-link RfC: Should Kamala Harris be described as 'African American' in the lead? to similar previous archived discussions would quickly deal unknowing editors like me in future :) Thanks anyway. ~ BOD ~ ^TALK 19:58, 11 November 2020 (UTC) reply

And Bodney, the additional information about her ancestry is included in the body of the article, just not in the lead. -- MelanieN ( talk) 18:51, 11 November 2020 (UTC) reply

Thanks, the lead reflects the article, but I do agree that not everything can or should be in the lead, especially when an article is likely to be extensive based on her own personal biography. ~ BOD ~ ^TALK 19:58, 11 November 2020 (UTC) reply

Should we tweak the FAQ? It says South Asian American throughout, which could be confusing. —valereee ( talk) 17:14, 11 November 2020 (UTC) reply

I think it should simply be "Asian American". I believe that is what the sources predominantly say. –  Muboshgu ( talk) 18:32, 11 November 2020 (UTC) reply

They say Asian-American specifically in reference to being vice president. In that position, she is not only the first South Asian, she is the first Asian. We say South Asian for other positions, such as senator where she was the first South Asian but not the first Asian. -- MelanieN ( talk) 18:51, 11 November 2020 (UTC) reply

If one goes far enough back, you will discover the consensus was South Asian-American. Then Sen. Harris was picked by VP Biden to be the VP nominee, and a large number of editors were attracted to this page. South Asian-American is how Sen. Harris identifies, and that is what should matter. Rklahn ( talk) 07:07, 15 November 2020 (UTC) reply

I believe we had consensus that the largest group should be used for the "firsts", so rather than first South Asian-American VP-elect, first Asian American was what we went with. For the senate, first South Asian-American. My question was only whether that needed to be further explained in the FAQs. Not that anyone reads them, but it's good to document what current consensus is. —valereee ( talk) 11:50, 22 November 2020 (UTC) reply

Im not sure such a consensus existed, but I am also not the Oracle of consensus. That begin said, yes, there is value in documenting what the current consensus is. I think it moves us closer to consensus having some of the attributes of Stare decisis. I think that this idea floating around Wikipedia that consensus can be achieved, and in the next moment ignored, counterproductive. Rklahn ( talk) 14:51, 22 November 2020 (UTC) reply

Rklahn, I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're getting at with that final sentence. —valereee ( talk) 15:28, 22 November 2020 (UTC) reply

Please tweak the FAQ to reflect her new status. Yes, it should be the first female, first African-American, and first Asian-American, in that order. In my view, Af-Ams takes precedence over As-Ams in the context of the US, not only because they go back further in this history of the US (indeed on average they precede even European Americans), but also because they have played a major role in the creation of the American ethos. Fowler&fowler «Talk» 16:51, 22 November 2020 (UTC) reply

PS She is and will remain the second female African-American senator and the first South Asian American (senator) in US history. Fowler&fowler «Talk» 17:13, 22 November 2020 (UTC) reply

Fowler&fowler, can you clarify what you mean by new status? —valereee ( talk) 21:06, 22 November 2020 (UTC) reply

Valereee, The point Im getting at is that true consensus on Wikipedia is illusory. On this very page, on this very subject, I worked hard with a group of Editors to achieve a consensus, which we did. Out in the open and on these Talk pages. Less than a week later, that consensus was ignored. So, any move that gets us closer to consensus meaning something is welcome to me. Rklahn ( talk) 21:01, 22 November 2020 (UTC) reply

Rklahn, diffs please? I'm still not following. —valereee ( talk) 21:05, 22 November 2020 (UTC) reply

By new status I meant from senator to VP-nominee (and VP-elect and eventually VP). Fowler&fowler «Talk» 21:46, 22 November 2020 (UTC) reply

Valereee I cant even find the consensus Im referring to in the Talk Archive. Im reasonably sure it happened before the Talk pages were archived at all, so maybe it got lost in the shuffle. I think at this point the best move for me is to drop the point, which is minor anyways, and to say that I support efforts to document the consensus, whatever it is. Rklahn ( talk) 22:09, 22 November 2020 (UTC) reply

One issue that deserves a lot more attention in this article is her relationship with Willie Brown. While a 29-year-old deputy district attorney, Harris had an affair with then 60-year leader of the California legislature Willie Brown. While they were dating, Brown appointed Harris to two paid commission posts, and effectively jump-started her political career. As she would likely never have had a political career otherwise, an item of this significance should be prominently mentioned, perhaps in the lede. Certainly it deserves more than part of a sentence buried deep within the article. Vinny Gambino ( talk) 22:24, 19 January 2021 (UTC) reply

We have discussed the Willie Brown connection many times, and seemed to reach a consensus that presents the facts in a balanced encyclopedic way with an appropriate amount of weight. That being said, if you have a proposed edit, let's talk about it. Rklahn ( talk) 22:43, 19 January 2021 (UTC) reply

I also have a few of questions regarding Harris' past employment history, specifically her being hired as Alameda county Deputy DA in 1990 (she was 26-years-old). Two of the requirements for that job is almost always to have clerked for a judge and have experience as an attorney in private practice or as a Deputy DA. Harris had neither. In fact, she never had a job until she was given her Deputy DA job. It should be noted in the article, in my opinion, that she had a resume that should have precluded her from getting that job. She claims to have gotten "involved" with Willie Brown in 1994. Well, the lack of a worthy or notable resume seems to indicate someone - someone of considerable influence - pulled strings to get her that Deputy DA job in 1990. Willie Brown was certainly someone who at that time, being Speaker of the CA Assembly, could have arranged her employment as a Deputy DA in Alameda county. Alameda county was in his district at that time. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2603:9000:6201:a79b:2913:a3bc:f1d3:c561 ( talk)

Your opinion of the matter has no bearing whatsoever on a Wikipedia article. If you have an actual suggestion of an addition to an article, then by all means produce one, sourced to a reliable source. Zaathras ( talk) 04:26, 13 June 2021 (UTC) reply

I don't think the requirements are that high. See for example Indeed's list of open positions. [1] IIRC, there was little interest among graduates to work for the county DA. In any case, you would need a source that said their was something exceptional about this. Otherwise, it's just a case of a law grad getting an entry level job that paid below average. TFD ( talk) 20:13, 13 June 2021 (UTC) reply