The top ranks of American politics have historically been dominated by men, almost all of them white. That's now coming to an end.
During his tenure, US President Joe Biden will be flanked by Kamala Harris – the first female vice president, and the first black woman of South Asian descent to hold the role.
Harris, 56, moves into the vice presidency just four years after she first went to Washington as a senator from California, where she'd previously served as attorney general and as San Francisco's district attorney.
It’s not just within the United States that she's an inspirational figure. Harris is very proud of her roots in India, where her grandfather's home village has been celebrating her rise to the top.
Euronews' Hermione Gee looks back at Harris' career: Watch in the video player above.