Black Greeks, task forces, mobilize en masse for Kamala
It didn’t take long for the meeting invites to go out.
Soon after President Joe Biden declared his support for Vice President Kamala Harris to launch what will undoubtedly be a historic campaign to become his successor in the Oval Office, a Zoom call was organized by members of the #WinWithBlackWomen network, a national collective of Black women leaders.
Those on the July 21 call took to social media, even as the call was still taking place, to talk about the energy and excitement they were hearing from Black women who appeared thrilled to witness the start of Harris’s campaign. Like many, they were expressing a supercharged interest in this year’s campaign, because they now feel they have an essential role to play in it.
The #WinWithBlackWomen Zoom tallied about 44,000 attendees. The network said they quickly hit capacity and that led them to widen participation so that 30,000 more women could attend the call via the social audio room app Clubhouse, and 20,000 more joined on various other platforms. “This groundbreaking gathering featured a distinguished roster of guest speakers, including influential political and spiritual leaders, policy makers, activists, celebrities, and prominent figures,” #WinWithBlackWomen representatives said in a statement. “The event also heralded the revival of the Brown Girls Fundraising Collective, raising an unprecedented fundraising initiative that surpassed all expectations by raising over $1.5 million dollars in less than three hours. Additionally, the enthusiasm was palpable, as nearly 10,000 individuals from across all 50 states eagerly volunteered to join #WinWithBlackWomen’s State Organizing Groups.”
The #WinWithBlackWomen call led to a similar effort to organize and strategize with Black men on July 22. The journalist Roland S. Martin created the WinWithBlackMen.org video call which was broadcast on the Black Star Network app and on YouTube. It saw 35,000 Black men show up to hear political strategists and Congressional Black Caucus members discuss the Harris campaign.
Kamala Harris’s well-known collegiate attendance at Washington, D.C.’s Howard University and her membership in the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) sorority also stand to benefit her campaign.
The AKAs, like other Black Greek-letter organizations, are non-partisan, but as with many fraternities and sororities, they support philanthropic programs, raise funds for charitable causes, and support community organizing. Harris’s sorors told the AmNews they have already heard from members who are eager to get back to work with their door knocking and phone banking campaigns.
“Delta Rho Omega will focus on voter registration, voter education, and voter mobilization as we approach the historic 2024 presidential election,” Monique Okumakpeyi, president of Brooklyn’s Delta Rho Omega chapter of the AKAs said. “The stakes are high for our democracy, and everyone’s voice must be heard as we choose our local and national leadership. We will answer the call of Alpha Kappa Alpha’s international president and CEO, Danette Anthony Reed, by engaging in our most robust voter registration efforts to date. However, we cannot stop at adding names to the voter registration rolls. We will make sure voters are familiar with the issues, know the candidates on their ballot, and know their polling location. For those who are unable to make it to the polls on Election Day, we will share information about early voting dates and locations, as well as absentee ballots. Lastly, each member is encouraged to ‘Take 4 or more in ’24’; namely take four or more people with them to the polls this year. Voting is our ‘Black job,’ and the 2024 election is a serious matter.”
The presidents of The Divine Nine, the network of Black greek-letter organizations, issued a statement vowing to conduct a massive, coordinated voter mobilization campaign “to activate the thousands of chapters and members in our respective organizations to ensure strong voter turnout in the communities we serve. This nonpartisan coordinated voter mobilization effort builds on our shared legacies of social action and service to our communities.”
The Divine Nine include the following organizations: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.; Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity; Omega Psi Phi Fraternity; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority; Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity; Zeta Phi Beta Sorority; Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority; and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity.
“As you know, we’re a nonpartisan organization, so we don’t encourage the vote one way or the other,” Elicia Pegues Spearman, Alpha Kappa Alpha’s North Atlantic regional director, explained to the AmNews. “But we do encourage people to understand what their voting rights mean, [and] how to get to the polls. So that’s why we’re doing voter education and voter registration.
“We don’t endorse any candidates or the party they’re in; what we endorse is voter registration and voting. But are we surprised that one of our members has been nominated? Not necessarily surprised, because we have members who are held in high esteem, who’ve achieved many great things, and that give back to our community. So, it’s not surprising that someone of her character, her skillset, has been nominated. Of course we’re pleased that she’s a member.”
Harris had just recently delivered a keynote speech at the AKAs’ 71st Boule in Dallas, Texas. At one point during her July 10 speech, Harris said, “Consider: Donald Trump has openly vowed, if reelected, he’ll be a dictator on day one, that he will weaponize the Department of Justice against his political enemies, round up peaceful protesters and throw them out of our country, and even, and I quote, ‘terminate’ the United States Constitution.
“What’s more, Trump advisors have created a 900-page blueprint of their agenda for the second term. They call it Project 2025. It includes a plan to cut Social Security, to repeal our $35 cap on insulin, to eliminate the Department of Education and end programs like Head Start.
“So, let us be clear: This represents an outright attack on our children, our families, and our future. And all of this is to say, I do believe this is the most existential, consequential, and important election of our lifetimes.”
If Kamala Harris wins the presidency, she would not only be emblematic of the promise of Black Greek-letter organizations, added the AKA’s Pegues Spearman, her impact on the world as an HBCU graduate — similar to President Barack Obama –– would be substantial.
“In general, for females, we’ve had presidential nominees –– like Shirley Chisholm and Hillary Clinton –– but no one’s been elected yet in the United States. Other countries have had female leaders that are doing great jobs. So as the leader in the world, we should not be lacking behind in our female leadership,” Spearman said.
“I think empowering others and inspiring others to know that they can put their best foot forward and try to do anything, that’s important,” she added. “So whether you’re an AKA that’s a Republican, an independent, or a Democrat, the fact that it’s a female is important. I think we want to hear her voice and hear what she has to offer to the country.”
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