What to know about Zeta Phi Beta Sorority where Harris is speaking today

Vice President Kamala Harris will be giving the keynote address at the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority in Indianapolis on Wednesday.

Harris’s address at the biennial convention is not a campaign event, and it was scheduled weeks before President Joe Biden announced he was stepping out of the race .

The convention started on July 23 and will conclude July 28. With more than 125,000 initiated members in the sorority, the convention is expected to have 8,000 sisters in attendance.

Zeta Phi Beta is a predominantly African American sorority founded in 1920 at Howard University. It is a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, also known as the Divine Nine, consisting of nine historically black fraternities and sororities. There are more than 875 chapters across the country.

Some of its most famous sisters include actress Vivica A. Fox, comedian Sheryl Underwood, author Zora Neale Hurston, and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).

While not a sorority sister of Zeta Phi Beta, Harris did pledge to the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, another member of the Divine Nine, during her time as a student at Howard University.

Harris has made her rounds with Divine Nine sororities, having attended the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s national convention in Indianapolis in 2023.

While neither the National Pan-Hellenic Council nor any of the individual sororities can endorse Harris for president, her presence at this week’s convention will be a big boost for her among black voters.

The Monday after Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris as president, the Divine Nine released a statement saying it will “activate the thousands of chapters and members in our respective organizations to ensure strong voter turnout in the communities we serve."

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"We, the Council of Presidents of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (Divine 9), have met and agreed to meet this critical moment in history with an unprecedented voter registration, education and mobilization coordinated campaign," the council said in a statement .

While Harris is not the official nominee to replace Biden, she received a majority of delegate support within 48 hours of Biden dropping out.