UC Law SF Congratulates Kamala Harris '89: California's next U.S. Senator

SAN FRANCISCO (UC Law SF) — University of California Hastings College of the Law is proud to congratulate trailblazer Kamala Harris ’89 on her election to the United States Senate.

Having grown up “surrounded by people who were always passionately fighting for this thing called ‘justice,'” Harris once told a reporter, “I was ultimately inspired to make my own contribution to this noble cause through public service.”

That sense of purpose led her first to Howard University in Washington, D.C., America’s oldest historically black university, then to UC Law SF, which suited her aspirations and lifelong bent toward activism. She served as president of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA), in a regional post for BLSA’s national parent organization, and as an advocate for greater campus diversity as part of the Legal Education Opportunity Program.

After law school, Harris signed on with the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office as deputy district attorney. In 1998, she joined the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, where, among other posts, she led the Career Criminal Unit. She was elected district attorney in 2003, defeating two-term incumbent Terence Hallinan, and won again unopposed for a second term in 2007. In 2010, voters chose Harris to be the state’s 32nd attorney general.

“Kamala Harris is a true trailblazer and exemplifies the public spirit of UC Law SF,” says David Faigman, UC Law SF Acting Chancellor & Dean. “We wish her all the best as a Senator, and look forward to welcoming her back to campus to celebrate her great accomplishment!”