The 107-day campaign of Kamala Harris for President of the United States was more than a political run—it was a seismic moment in American history. Though the race didn’t end in victory, Harris broke barriers with relentless determination, historic milestones and a message of joy that inspired many.
In their new book, KAMALA: Her Historic, Joyful and Auspicious Sprint to the White House, authors Deborah Willis and Kevin Merida capture Vice President Harris’ transformative journey with compelling photography and great storytelling. This book, which hit stores on December 17, offers an intimate and nuanced portrait of Harris’ life, impressive career and historic campaign, blending her public triumphs with the personal moments that shaped her groundbreaking ascent.
It’s a story that both Merida, a journalist and author, and Willis, a photographer and photo historian, felt had to be told, regardless of the campaign’s outcome. “You know, sometimes we can just take history for granted. This person was the first this and that, but she literally broke barriers and crashed through ceilings not made of glass but made of bricks at every level,” says Merida. “She is the first Black American woman to be vice president and the first of a major political party to get the nomination for president and that needed to be chronicled in full.”
With over 150 photos, iconic quotes and highlights from the Vice President’s trailblazing life and career, Willis and Merida deliver a photographic biography that solidifies Harris’s story as a testament to progress and the power of possibility.
The book offers an intimate look at her historic 107-day campaign for President of the United States, launched after President Biden announced he would not seek re-election. “It was unlike anything we’ve seen,” Merida says.
“107 days to mount a campaign when we’re used to presidential campaigns being two years in the making…The Democratic Party coalesced around this one candidate after the President decided not to run, so we were dealing with history just in terms of the actual campaign itself and how it came about…so chronicling that in real time, we wanted to capture it,” he adds.
“When she announced her campaign, I was surprised that a number of people on the news ignored the story of her history,” says Willis, who sought to tell a layered story of Harris’ personal and professional journey. “I wanted to show her identities—she had many—as a sister, a daughter, a mother. I wanted to show the impactful experiences that shaped her through photographs,” Willis adds.
One of the book’s most striking aspects is its focus on joy—a theme often overlooked in political narratives but a deliberate focus of this book. Willis and Merida say they aimed to capture the joy and emotional resonance of the campaign—an often-overlooked aspect of political journeys.
This approach mirrors their previous collaboration on Obama: The Historic Campaign in Photographs, which chronicled former President Barack Obama’s groundbreaking 2008 campaign with similar attention to the humanity behind the history.
“We were looking for ways to find the joy of the campaign, that emotional experience that often is ignored in campaigning,” Willis shares with ESSENCE. “When we noticed images of the door to door, the touching of the heart, the selfies, that created a language that directed me as a photographer to look at the eyes of the people that she is looking into… those exchanges that created a desire to be a part of Harris’ world,” she adds.
The book’s visuals are a powerful storytelling tool, with images like Harris engaging with young supporters, sharing heartfelt moments with her team and embracing community members on the campaign trail. These photographs provide readers with a sense of the joy and connection that defined her sprint to the White House.
Both authors see their work as a tribute to Harris’ resilience and the broader impact of her journey. “Books are keepsakes… There’s nothing more powerful than visual imagery because you can go back and you can ponder and study it,” Merida notes.
Willis emphasized the importance of sharing the incredible journey of Harris. “We wanted to show the world not just what she’s achieved but how she’s achieved it,” she says.
Through their collaboration, Willis and Merida have created a work that not only celebrates Kamala Harris’s achievements but also inspires readers to see themselves in the story of history being made. As Merida put it, “No one just arrives. Success is built on influence, perseverance and the belief that tomorrow can be better than today. Kamala’s story is proof of that.”
