Harris’ membership in AKA sorority sparks ‘Divine 9’ political action push

• Vice President Kamala Harris is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the oldest African American sorority 
• Nationally, the sorority has over 300,000 members, which could be an asset to her campaign 
• AKA and fellow members of the ‘Divine 9’ are ramping up voter education and mobilization efforts

In an election that may be won at the margins, Kamala Harris' sisters may make a difference. Her sorority sisters, that is.

As Harris seeks to become the first Black woman president, fellow members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. are mobilizing voters in Michigan and other swing states.

A Lansing AKA chapter plans a “Party at the Polls” early-voting celebration in late October, for instance, and a Detroit chapter recently hosted “When Black Women Run” an event featuring discussions among Black women in elective office, in conjunction with National Voter Registration Day. Detroit AKA chapters also hosted or co-hosted watch parties for last month’s presidential debate between Harris and former President Donald Trump, and AKA chapters’ social media posts frequently include get-out-the-vote messages, with slogans such as “Take 4 or More in 24.”

While technically nonpartisan, the group —  along with eight other historically Black sororities and fraternities collectively known as the “Divine 9,” — are stepping up voter registration efforts ahead of the Nov. 5 election.  All Divine 9 organizations are tax-exempt nonprofits so they can’t officially endorse a candidate, but that hasn’t stopped them from getting involved with the election in other ways.

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In August, Alpha Kappa Alpha formed a political action committee, AKA 1908 PAC, that “will enable members and their immediate families to donate to several causes, including Harris for President, Harris Victory Fund, and the AKA 1908 PAC.”

“We have an opportunity to show our support financially in a variety of ways, and to make it pearlfectly clear to the Harris for President campaign that any donations designated for them are coming from individual members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated,” the sorority said in a new release. (Pearls are a symbol of the sorority, along with its signature salmon pink and apple green colors.) 

Mobilizing the membership

Alpha Kappa Alpha, founded at Howard University in 1908, is the oldest Black Greek-letter sorority. Harris joined AKA while attending Howard in 1986. Her membership has sparked excitement across the Divine 9. 

“The day she announced her nomination … I was calling family members … and line sisters, but see, as Alpha Kappa Alpha, we're nonpartisan, so individually, we can be excited,” said Crystal Sewell, vice president of AKA’s Lambda Pi Omega Chapter, an alumnae chapter that serves metro Detroit. “We're excited about our soror and we're grateful that she is running.” 

The sorority is one of the largest Black Greek-letter organizations, with over 360,000 members and 1,074 chapters around the world.

Voter education, registration and mobilization events are nothing new for the Divine 9, but since Harris became the Democratic nominee, efforts have noticeably increased.

Sewell told Bridge in September that the Lambda Pi Omega chapter in Detroit was planning to hold more than two dozen events before Election Day, which is more than the chapter typically would have during an election year.

“Between now and the end of Nov. 5, we have about 25 programs that are around community engagement and voter mobilization that we're going to do in our chapter alone,” Sewell said. “For Alpha Kappa Alpha, this is probably standard, but I would say we are probably ramping it up a little extra this year; we’re motivated to do that.” 

“I think people are inspired since she has become the Democratic nominee,” Sewell said. “However, Alpha Kappa Alpha has always been committed to voter education and getting people to the polls to vote for the sake of democracy.” 

The excitement surrounding Harris’ campaign has also trickled down statewide and local elections in Michigan. 

“A lot of the Divine 9 organizations (have hosted) more judicial-focus forums to make sure that people vote in the nonpartisan section of the ballots,” said Michigan Supreme Court Judge Kyra Harris Bolden. “There's an increase in activities, particularly from the Divine 9 organizations, which I very much appreciate.” 

Bolden is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha. 

“Vice President Kamala Harris, being a member of the Divine 9 and being on the top of the ticket is definitely garnering more support and attention,” Bolden said.  “Liberty is so important and I think that that is something that has been instilled in our values with the sororities and fraternities and making sure that we have the right to vote and making sure that that right is exercised.” 

Efforts stretch beyond AKA

All Divine 9 organizations have emphasized voter education and mobilization efforts on the national, local and collegiate levels. The nine organizations were all founded at a time when voting rights weren’t extended to Black Americans and other minorities, which inspired them to get involved in political movements. 

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.’s national voter mobilization campaign “A Voteless People is a Hopeless People,” is aimed at getting people registered to vote. “We've been doing this since the early 1920s,” said Harry Todd, president of the Gamma Lambda Chapter, which serves metro Detroit. “It's in our heart. It's our DNA.”

In August, the fraternity announced that it would provide up to $100,000 in micro-grants to its chapters “to support voter education, registration and mobilization efforts for the 2024 United States Election Cycle.” 

Alpha Phi Alpha’s Gamma Lambda Chapter partnered with the Lambda Pi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha to host a watch party on Sept. 10 for the first presidential debate between Harris and Trump. 

“The biggest issue is voter apathy,” Todd said. “What keeps me up at night is … the people (who) look like me, who are in certain communities, who don't care, who feel their voice is not counted.” 

The National Pan-Hellenic Council, the governing body of the Divine 9, has also set forth goals to increase voter mobilization during this election season for each organization. 

A day after Harris announced her candidacy, NPHC’s Council of Presidents announced “an unprecedented voter registration, education and mobilization coordinated campaign.”  

The Divine 9 stands in Unity to Get Out the Vote! #D9StrongerTogether #kapsi1911 #nupes pic.twitter.com/INTLUa3KAb

— Kappa Alpha Psi® Fraternity, Inc. (@kapsi1911) July 22, 2024

The group has challenged its member organizations to host 600 voter registration drives combined and register 250,000 new voters. The Council met with each organization to establish these metrics throughout July and August with the hope of achieving them by Oct. 31. 

“Next to the Black church, the Divine 9 is the largest set of organized African American constituency,” said Ralph Johnson, national 1st vice president of the NPHC.

 “We've always been part of … voter registration, civil rights movement, the voting rights movement, women's suffrage … since our founding and so it's important for people to understand collectively, what the Divine 9 is capable of accomplishing together.”