Harris taps Black sorority and fraternity ‘family’ for political power

Vice President Kamala Harris rallied members of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. on Wednesday, urging some of her staunchest supporters to “make history” in one of her first events as the Democrats’ all-but-assured nominee — and underscoring her connection with a critical voting bloc.

Her rousing speech amounted to a hometown reception. Harris is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority since her days at Howard University, which is also part of the “Divine Nine.” The group represents historically Black sororities and fraternities, a ready-made coalition of supporters who the vice president called on “to energize, to organize and to mobilize” against former President Donald Trump.

The organizations collectively represent a significant well of support for Harris, both personally and politically.

“When we organize, mountains move,” Harris said. “When we mobilize, nations change. And when we vote, we make history.”

After Harris’ ascension to the party’s apparent standard-bearer, the “Divine Nine” presidents collectively put out a statement promising to “meet this critical moment in history with an unprecedented voter registration, education and mobilization coordinated campaign.”

Harris, President Joe Biden’s endorsed successor, turned from running mate to all-but-certain ticket leader just four days ago. And she drew some of the biggest cheers of her speech by alluding to the historic nature of her own candidacy.

“When I am president of the United States,” Harris said, pausing for a wave of cheers, “and when Congress passes a law to restore those freedoms, I will sign it into law.”

“We are not playing around,” she added to laughter from the crowd.

Harris’ appearance at the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc.’s Grand Boulé, the group’s annual national gathering, underscores her connection to Black voters — and her effort to push them to the polls in November. During her 2020 presidential campaigns, both in the primary and as Biden’s running-mate, she leaned on her sisters from AKA and the broader community.

“Family is my beloved Alpha Kappa Alpha — our Divine 9 — and my HBCU brothers and sisters,” she said during her convention speech in 2020 .

Given her apparent new role at the top of the ticket, the Harris campaign is now arguing that she can shore up the party’s coalition, particularly among young voters of color, which had frayed under Biden. In a memo released Wednesday morning , Harris’ campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said the “shift in the race” — swapping out Biden for Harris — “opens up additional persuadable voters who our campaign can work to win the support of.”

“This race is more fluid now,” the memo said. “The Vice President is well-known but less well-known than both Trump and President Biden, particularly among Dem-leaning constituencies.”

During her speech, she briefly previewed Biden’s Oval Office address, scheduled for Wednesday evening, when he will talk about his “decision to step down as a candidate” and “about his work in the next six months,” as he finishes his term.

Harris also road-tested more of her attacks against Trump, who she said was “trying to take us backwards,” and the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025,” which envisions a massive overhaul of the federal government — and which Trump has sought to distance himself from.

“Now, can you believe they put that in writing? 900 pages of it,” Harris said. “This represents an outright attack on our children, our families and our future. These extremists want to take us back, but we are not going back.”