Greek organizations are the domain of colleges, but Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign is pushing Black Greek organizations into the political sphere. He is the first presidential candidate to come from the Divine Nine Greek organization and, if elected, would be the first president from the Black Greek system.
That means Harris has access to more than 2 million members of the Divine Nine, including activists, community leaders, philanthropists and more, and a potentially powerful voting and mobilization bloc.
Harris, 59, is a member Alpha Kappa Alphais the oldest Black Greek letter sorority in the country and one of the Black sororities or fraternities that make up the “Divine Nine.” It’s a sisterhood that has stood behind Harris since her promotion to vice president, especially as these organizations encourage lifelong membership and community involvement beyond the college years. Last week, Kiahna W. Davis, regional director of Alpha Kappa Alpha Inc., AKA formed a political action committee To support Harris.
Deidra Davis, alumni advisor for AKA’s Washington, D.C. chapter, said she is proud to see Harris rise to such a high political position and the sorority will use the opportunity to involve more black Americans in civic life.
“Alpha Kappa Alpha and all the other Divine Nine organizations are nonpartisan,” he said, “so we’re really focused on using this as an opportunity to step up voter registration efforts, educate people in the community about the importance of voting, and really encourage people to exercise their right to vote.” .
A former prosecutor, California attorney general and U.S. senator, Harris pledged to AKA in 1986 while an undergraduate at Howard University.
Being a member of the Divine Nine fosters a lifelong commitment to fellowship and service, and leaders say Harris’ campaign is becoming a new avenue for political organization.
Until now, Black Greek organizations have had more cultural than political influence. These fraternities and sororities were founded after Black people were born excluded from white Greek groups. Since then, Black Greek-letter organizations have developed their own culture, with clothing, colors, slogans, and marching (a century-old tradition of group choreography unique to each organization) becoming an integral part of Black American culture—so much so that Harris is AKA to champion it. Donald Trump’s race-focused attacks.
He applied to approximately 20,000 AKAss, at the organization’s biennial national convention in July, before launching his presidential campaign. She spoke of her deep AKA roots, beginning with her aunt Christine Simmons, who joined the sorority in 1950 while at Howard.
“Sorrs, this is a serious matter,” Harris he told the audienceReferring to AKA’s traditional “serious matter” slogan. “For 116 years, our sorority members have been on the front lines of the fight to realize America’s promise. Let’s continue this work this year.”
She regularly highlights networking on social media, sharing photos of her outings with her sorority sisters and events with her Greek organization. In A 2019 post on Xhe wrote, “Graduation @HowardU and is a proud member @akasorority1908 changed my life.”
His membership has been a source of pride and excitement for both Black people and members of Black Greek organizations.
Social media just days after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and announced that Harris should take the ticket user wrote“Many of you seriously underestimate the power of the Divine 9 and AKA to come together for a common cause! They will be very effective for VP Harris and his campaign…and I am HERE for it!”
Harris also drew on the cultural significance of Greek affiliation. In 2019, he shared his video Calling out the mother of a supporter who was a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority—a longtime friendly rival of the AKAs. Alongside the video, he wrote, “Whether you’re AKA, Delta, or any other member of the Divine Nine, we’re all family.” And he Spoke to Zeta Phi Beta women At their biennial convention in Indianapolis in late July.
Democratic National Convention Chairwoman Mignon Moore, also AKA, told NBC News that the Divine Nine rallying behind one of their own in Harris is part of their commitment to service and uplifting Black Americans.
“I am incredibly proud of the critical role the Panhellenic Council plays in civic engagement,” said Moore, a veteran political strategist who served as an adviser to Hillary Clinton. “This November, I will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with my sisters and brothers as I elect a fellow member of the Divine Nine to the nation’s highest office so he can continue to make progress for Black communities.”
The National Pan-Hellenic Council is the official unifying and governing body of the Divine Nine. Its president, Donna Jones Anderson, told NBC News that it is a nonpartisan organization that does not officially endorse candidates. But he said he believes the Divine Nine will continue to be an important voting block that politicians prioritize in the years to come.
“Some of us are senior civil rights leaders, doctors, lawyers, politicians and mayors. There are Divine Nine people everywhere in the country, in education, in medicine. We are everywhere,” Anderson said, adding that politicians also acknowledge this. “So if they come to us, there’s a very good possibility that we can definitely help.”
“We don’t commit to these organizations, and we do for the four years we’ve been on a college campus. When you join a Black Greek letter organization, it’s a lifelong commitment,” said Davis, who added that he graduated from Howard in 1989.
“We have been serving this cause for decades and these organizations have been around for over 117 years. I am very happy that we are drawing this attention and we can say to the nation ‘this is who we are, this is what we do and this is our influence’.
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