BET’s ‘America In Black’ Debuts New Episode July 2 Featuring VP Kamala Harris

The latest episode of BET’s America In Black aired Sunday, July 2, featuring an exclusive interview with Vice President Kamala Harris on Black maternal health and mortality.

America in Black, a monthly newsmagazine that debuted in late February in partnership with CBS, is a blend of human interest stories, investigative reports, and high-profile interviews to provide a wide scope of commentary for and by the Black community.

Episode 6 dissects the Black maternal mortality rate, providing insight on the systemic and societal barriers, such as health, wealth status, and general accessibility, that contribute to the issue and why it persists despite advancements in medicine. Vice President Harris sat down with Danya Bacchus from CBS News and addressed the ongoing problem of Black women dying at a disproportionate rate during childbirth, as opposed to their white counterparts.

In a preview of the interview, the vice president stated how acknowledgment of racial bias in the healthcare system is a truth that must be faced.

“One reality of it, that may be hard for some people to hear, is because she’s Black,” shared Harris. “When she walks into that clinic, that doctor’s office, and that hospital, she is not taken as seriously.”

In addition to the investigative segment, the hour-long program took a closer look at the rising popularity of the Afrobeats music genre across the Black diaspora. Alongside this, journalist Ed Gordon conducted a profile on the life and legacy of religious leader T.D. Jakes, a nondenominational Christian pastor of megachurch The Potter’s House.

Michelle Miller also interviewed celebrated artist Kehinde Wiley, who painted former President Obama for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, in a feature. Comedian Roy Wood Jr., known for his work on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, provided commentary throughout the episode.