<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Former Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the relationship between diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and maternal health during a campaign event on September 22, 2026, stating that "the attack on DEI is an attack on maternal care." She accused the Trump administration of jeopardizing research and care for black women.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Harris connected the DEI debate to federal funding for maternal health and the significance of Michigan’s Senate race. She campaigned alongside Democratic nominee Abdul el Sayed, who is running against Republican Mike Rogers for the seat held by retiring Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), a race that could influence Senate control.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img alt="Senatorial candidate Abdul el Sayed, left, and former Vice President Kamala Harris, right, participate in a roundtable discussion about reproductive health." class="wp-image-4738444" height="682" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AP26265725421985.jpg?w=696" width="1024" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Senatorial candidate Abdul el Sayed, left, and former Vice President Kamala Harris, right, participate in a roundtable discussion about reproductive health on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, at Birth Detroit, in Detroit. (David Guralnick/Detroit News via AP, Pool)</figcaption></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Harris emphasized the importance of recognizing diversity, equity, and inclusion in relation to maternal care, particularly for black women during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. She stated, "When we talk about what is at stake in this moment as it relates to these midterms and who occupies seats in one of the most important bodies in our nation, if not the world, which is the United States Senate."</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This event marked Harris’s first public appearance with el Sayed since endorsing him after his victory in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary. The discussion focused on black maternal health, which aligns with el Sayed’s background as a physician and former health official.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Harris specifically mentioned research on uterine fibroids, which disproportionately affect black women, as an example of the impact of the administration's stance on DEI. She stated, "Donald Trump and his administration have cut funding through the National Institutes of Health on many research projects that they consider to fall under DEI, including fibroid research. The United States Senate should be a stopgap on the abuses of this administration."</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">El Sayed's campaign is working to unify Democratic support following a primary that revealed party divisions. He defeated Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) in the August 4 race and will face Rogers in the general election in less than two months.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">El Sayed has highlighted his medical and public health experience as central to his campaign, while Harris has linked maternal health to her political agenda from her time in the Senate and White House. She remarked, "When I was senator and then as vice president, I was so proud, with so many of the people in this room, to uplift to the national stage the work that you all do every day."</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Harris’s involvement in Democratic politics is notable as she considers a potential presidential run in 2028. She has been appearing at Democratic events in key states ahead of the midterm elections, including Michigan, while stating she has not made a decision regarding another campaign.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Republican National Committee spokeswoman Natalie Baldassarre criticized Harris's remarks, stating, "This is just another Kamala Harris word salad special. Abdul El-Sayed is a fake doctor who can’t even define what a woman is, and campaigning with a certified loser who lost Michigan because of her woke DEI lectures isn’t doing him any favors."</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Despite the criticism, Harris focused on the Senate race and its implications for maternal health, stating, "The stakes are so high. The need for us then to tell everyone who has a vested interest in the outcome of these issues that they have power and voice in the outcome of this election, which will directly impact their lives in many ways."</p>