Vice President Kamala Harris is partnering with actress Sheryl Lee Ralph this Wednesday in efforts to address threats against women.
The event is scheduled to be held in Pennsylvania and will mark an official campaign stop as Harris gears up for a potential second term in office.
This is not the first time Harris and Lee Ralph have traveled together. In spring of last year, the pair visited Ghana together to visit a recording studio in the nation’s capital city.
Following Ralph’s remarkable victory at the 2022 Emmys for her supporting role in Abbott Elementary — where she made history as the second Black woman to win in her category, the first being in 1987 — the actress disclosed that Harris reached out to offer her congratulations.
“She called and I had to say, ‘We did it Kamala. We did it,’” Ralph told The Hollywood Reporter. “It was great.”
Beyond her acting endeavors, Ralph, who is married to Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Hughes, has been vocal about several causes dear to her, such as abortion rights and reproductive freedom.
Following the leak of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs opinion in 2022, she addressed a “Bans Off Our Bodies” rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, condemning governmental intrusion into a woman’s autonomy over her health decisions.
“No matter what you believe, I believe this is my body. It is my choice. No one else should have the right to tell me what to do with my own body,” Ralph said, per the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. “No more wire hangers. We’ve got work to do.”
Ralph’s vocal advocacy for reproductive freedom aligns with Harris’ commitment to prioritizing women’s rights in the lead-up to the 2024 election. Their collaborative event in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, held on Wednesday, coincides with the vice president’s nationwide tour addressing the persistent challenges facing women’s health.
On May 1, coinciding with the implementation of Florida’s six-week abortion ban, Harris visited Jacksonville to voice her concerns. She emphasized that besides rolling back the rights established by Roe v. Wade, stringent state bans like Florida’s hinder access to abortion before many individuals even realize they are pregnant. Moreover, they pose a threat to medical professionals who are simply fulfilling their duties.
“Basically under Donald Trump, it would be fair game for women to be monitored and punished by the government, whereas Joe Biden and I have a different view,” she told the crowd. “We believe the government should never come between a woman and her doctor.”
