How to pronounce ‘Kamala,’ and other answers to questions you have about the VP pick

She’s the junior senator from California.

She’s now the presumptive Democratic 2020 vice presidential nominee.

But who is Kamala Harris, the woman that Joe Biden selected to be his running mate?

How do you pronounce ‘Kamala?’

If you’re struggling with how to pronounce her name, Harris thankfully spelled it out.

According to CNN, in her 2019 memoir, “The Truths We Hold,” Harris wrote, “First, my name is pronounced ‘comma-la,’ like the punctuation mark. It means ‘lotus flower,’ which is a symbol of significance in Indian culture. A lotus grows underwater, its flower rising above the surface while its roots are planted firmly in the river bottom.”

If you need further help pronouncing it, here’s an ad commissioned during Harris’ 2016 U.S. Senate run that has children lending an assist.

Where was Kamala Harris born?

Harris was born in Oakland on Oct. 20, 1964, to parents Dr. Shyamala G. Harris, a breast cancer researcher who emigrated to the U.S. from India, and Donald J. Harris, an economist who emigrated to the U.S. from Jamaica.

Harris’ Senate biography says she grew up in Oakland with “a stroller-eye view of the Civil Rights movement.”

Who is Kamala Harris’ family?

Harris has one sibling, a sister named Maya Harris.

Maya Harris has worked as a civil rights attorney and public policy advocate, and she also served as campaign chair for her sister’s 2019 run for president.

Harris is also married, to attorney Douglas Emhoff, and is stepmother to Ella and Cole Emhoff.