Sheryl Lee Ralph and Kamala Harris Are Reuniting for a Cause Near to Both of Their Hearts (Exclusive)

Kyler Alvord

5 May 2024 at 2:00 pm·3-min read

The 'Abbott Elementary' actress has crossed paths with the vice president multiple times, even joining her on a trip to Ghana last year

<p>John Salangsang/Variety via Getty; Slaven Vlasic/Getty</p> Sheryl Lee Ralph (left) and Kamala Harris — John Salangsang/Variety via Getty; Slaven Vlasic/Getty
Sheryl Lee Ralph (left) and Kamala Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris will team up with actress Sheryl Lee Ralph during an official campaign stop in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, May 8, to fire voters up about the ongoing threats to women's freedoms.

The event will be a reunion of sorts for the two, who crossed paths at a Philadelphia mobilization event during Harris' 2020 vice presidential campaign — and who traveled to Ghana together in the spring of 2023.

<p>NIPAH DENNIS/AFP via Getty </p> Idris Elba and Sheryl Lee Ralph join Vice President Kamala Harris at a community recording studio in Ghana on March 27, 2023 — NIPAH DENNIS/AFP via Getty
Idris Elba and Sheryl Lee Ralph join Vice President Kamala Harris at a community recording studio in Ghana on March 27, 2023

After Ralph's notable Emmys win in 2022 for her supporting role in Abbott Elementary — in which she became only the second Black woman to win in her category, and the first since 1987 — the actress revealed that Harris called her to extend a congratulations.

"She called and I had to say, ‘We did it Kamala. We did it,’" Ralph told The Hollywood Reporter at the time. "It was great."

<p>Mark Makela/Getty</p> Sheryl Lee Ralph takes a selfie with Kamala Harris during a "Sister to Sister: Mobilizing in Action" event in Philadelphia on Sept. 17, 2020 — Mark Makela/Getty
Sheryl Lee Ralph takes a selfie with Kamala Harris during a "Sister to Sister: Mobilizing in Action" event in Philadelphia on Sept. 17, 2020

Outside of her acting career, Ralph — who is married to Pennsylvania state Sen. Vincent Hughes — has been outspoken about a number of causes close to her heart, including abortion rights and reproductive freedom.

At a "Bans Off Our Bodies" rally in Harrisburg, Pa., after the Supreme Court's Dobbs opinion was leaked in 2022, Ralph spoke out against the government interfering with a woman's right to make decisions about her own health.

“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, according to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. “No more wire hangers. We’ve got work to do.”

<p>Joe Raedle/Getty</p> Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to voters in Jacksonville, Florida, on May 1, 2024, as the state's six-week abortion ban took effect — Joe Raedle/Getty
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to voters in Jacksonville, Florida, on May 1, 2024, as the state's six-week abortion ban took effect

Ralph's outspoken support of reproductive freedom falls in line with Harris' mission to keep women's rights at the top of voters' minds ahead of the 2024 election.

Their joint event in Montgomery County, Pa., on Wednesday comes as the vice president has been touring the country to talk about the ongoing threats to women's health.

On May 1, the day Florida's six-week abortion ban took effect, Harris appeared in Jacksonville to express that — aside from walking back the rights long afforded by Roe v. Wade — extreme state bans like Florida's restrict abortion before many women realize they are pregnant, and threaten to target medical professionals for doing their jobs.

"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.”

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