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By Kerry-Ann Hamilton
University News
December 14, 2010
Howard
Alumna Becomes First Woman
Elected as California Attorney
General
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In
less than a month, Howard
University alumna Kamala
Harris, J.D., (B.A.
'86), will join a long
line of Howard "firsts"
when she is sworn in
as the first woman as
well as first African-American
and Indian-American,
to be elected as California
Attorney General.
Harris,
46, led her first campaign
as a freshman at Howard
University for the Liberal
Arts Student Council.
Faculty, students and
administrators knew
that there was something
special about her.
"I
remember Kamala very
well," said Rodney
Green, Ph.D., chair
of the Howard University
Department of Economics.
"She was very brilliant,
a leader on campus and
was destined for success.
We are very proud of
her historic election."
Harris
was born in Oakland,
California to a Jamaican
father and Indian mother
and raised in Berkeley.
Her parents, both professors,
were involved in the
Civil Rights Movement
and instilled in her
a strong commitment
to justice and public
service. Harris found
Howard to be a home
away from home because
of its role as an architect
of social justice in
America and throughout
the globe.
In
1986, she earned a bachelors
of arts degree from
Howard University. The
University awarded Harris
the Outstanding Alumni
Award for her extraordinary
work in fields of law
and public service in
2006. She received a
Juris Doctor from University
of California, Hastings
College of the Law in
1989. |
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year ago, the attorney
general-elect was interviewed
by the Howard Magazine
about her career, successes
and her then upcoming
campaign for attorney
general. Harris discussed
how she has handled some
key issues she has faced.
"A
child in elementary
school who is missing
50 or 60 days out of
a 180-day school year
is never going to be
completely functional
or productive,"
Harris said. "I
did something that was
considered controversial,
but it put an infrared
light on the issue.
I decided to prosecute
parents for truancy."
As an
outcome of Harris' tough
approach, support systems
were put in place for
parents, resulting in
a 23 percent improvement
in students' attendance
rates.
"I
am also very proud of
a reentry initiative
that I started called
'Back on Track,' "
she said. "In California,
70 percent of all people
released from prison
reoffend within three
years of their release.
I decided to focus on
the 18 to 24-year-old,
first time, nonviolent,
low-level offender.
Most of the offenders
did not have any employable
skills so we got them
enrolled in apprenticeship
programs…had
them earn their GED
and they enrolled in
the city college."
The
program reduced recidivism
for that group from
54 percent to less than
10 percent in four years.
The National District
Attorneys Association
selected the "Back
on Track" program
as a model for district
attorney offices around
the country.
As veteran
prosecutor, she has
dedicated her outstanding
legal talents to combating
violent crime and the
sexual exploitation
of children. She works
creatively to improve
the quality of life
in our communities.
As Deputy District Attorney
in Alameda County from
1990 to 1998, she prosecuted
hundreds of serious
and violent felonies,
including homicide,
rape, and child sexual
assault cases. Before
Louise Renne recruited
her to join the City
Attorney's office in
August 2000, she was
the Managing Attorney
of the Career Criminal
Unit of the office of
the San Francisco District
Attorney.
Harris'
accolades include "America's
20 Most Powerful Women"
by Newsweek, "100
Most Influential African
Americans" by Ebony
Magazine, and the New
York Times listed her
as one of 17 women most
likely to become the
first female president
of the U.S.
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