In an election that is expected to be as close as this November’s presidential vote, turnout will be key. Therefore, both major candidates are doing everything they can to engage and energize their supporters.
For Vice President Kamala Harris, some of that support comes from the historically black fraternity and sorority known as the Divine Nine. Mr. Harris is a member of one of them, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. is a group that recently launched its own political action committee.
Divine Nine fraternities and sororities have about 2.5 million members, said RJ Johnson, national vice president of the organization’s umbrella organization, the National Panhellenic Council.
“Next to the Black Church, the NPHC (Divine Nine) is the largest single organization of the combined Black constituency,” he said.
Johnson is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and chair of the Divine Nine Votes campaign. He said there is not much formal academic research on the economic power of these groups, but there should be.
“All of our organizations are at the collegiate level,” Johnson said. “So we typically find that people with a college education earn more than people without a college education. Our members are members of the C-suite. They’re lawyers, they’re doctors, they’re doctors. Yes, I’m a lawyer.
In addition to the membership base, which appears to skew high incomes, Johnson also pointed to the economic contribution of the many conferences and events sponsored by various organizations, which provide host cities with millions to tens of millions of dollars. He pointed out that it could have an economic impact on the dollar. .
In July, Vice President Harris spoke at the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. annual convention (known as the “Grand Boulet”) in Indianapolis, acknowledging the organization’s long history of political activity. .
“During the civil rights movement, you marched for voting rights, economic justice, and an end to racism,” Harris said.
Walter Kimbrough, interim president of historically black Talledega University in Alabama, said the Divine Nine organization has prioritized civic engagement since its founding in the early 1900s. Kimbrough is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the oldest group of the Divine Nine, founded in 1906.
“If you look at all the major figures in the civil rights movement, 90 percent of them are members of these groups,” Kimbrough said. “Of course, people think of Martin Luther King Jr., but they also think of Jesse Jackson, Ralph David Abernathy, Coretta Scott King… Thurgood Marshall, the first African American on the Supreme Court. But they’re all members of Congress.”These groups. ”
Members of these organizations tend to remain at least somewhat involved throughout their lives, and NPHC’s RJ Johnson said the majority of active members are alumni who are not currently enrolled at the university. In addition to community service with an emphasis on education, these organizations have long been involved in politics.
Tamara Brown, president of the University of Texas at Arlington and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., said, “They meet in the halls with key leaders, including the president, and express their points of view and views.” I’ve done it,” he said. I edited a book about the Divine Nine. “These organizations are already politically engaged and actively taking positions on important issues affecting the African American community.”
These groups have traditionally focused on voter registration and turnout efforts in Black communities, but since Vice President Harris’ elevation to the top Democratic nomination, the Divine Nine’s leadership has increased these efforts. is being strengthened.
Although these organizations are officially nonpartisan nonprofits, some have affiliated political action committees. These PACs also say they are ramping up their efforts, supporting candidates regardless of the outcome of the polls, and planning to donate to the candidates they support.
So far, they have not publicly reported many donations. The four PACs filing with the Federal Election Commission reported spending just over $100,000 this term, all of which went to Democrats, according to public filings compiled by Open Secrets. I am.
Walter Fields, president of the Iota Phi Theta political group, spoke about the PAC’s plans at a recent event focused on Black men and the 2024 election.
“The[Divine Nine’s]political action committee … is united in support of Vice President Harris and Governor Tim Walz,” he said. “We are going to do everything we can think of as black people to ensure that Vice President Harris becomes the next president of the United States.”
These groups have more than 100 years of experience getting black voters to the polls and are rich with well-connected and wealthy members who appear eager to raise money and leverage their political power.
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