What is Alpha Kappa Alpha? All about African American sorority repped by Kamala Harris which could play crucial role in 2024 election

Vice President Kamala Harris has been a member of the international African-American sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, for decades. With Harris set to be the Democratic presidential candidate in the 2024 elections, the sorority could play a key role in determining the verdict.

Earlier this month, on July 10, Harris attended AKA's biennial convention and has frequently been seen at various high-profile sorority events. She also spoke at the biennial convention of Zeta Phi Beta this week on July 24, which is another Pan-Hellenic organization of the Divine Nine.

Alpha Kappa Alpha is an international service organization comprising African-American women, founded on the campus of Kamala Harris's alma mater, Howard University, in Washington DC in 1908. The AKA is the first Black sorority of its type and a part of a larger group of Pan-Hellenic organizations called the Divine Nine.

As a nonprofit organization, the National Pan-Hellenic Council would remain non-partisan and could not openly endorse Kamala Harris's presidential campaign.

However, experts suggest that Alpha Kappa Alpha and its fellow sororities launching a campaign to ensure higher voter turnout could reportedly help Harris's campaign, given her association with the AKA.

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Alpha Kappa Alpha is the oldest Greek-letter organization founded by African-American women college students

Vice President Kamala Harris Speaks At The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (Image via Getty)

Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first black sorority in the United States. Founded by a group of African-American college-educated women, it is the oldest Greek-letter organization of its kind, as per AKA's official website. The society comprises over 360,000 members from various graduate and undergraduate courses across 12 countries.

According to Lawrence Ross, the author of The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities, the first sororities in the US were established back in the 1700s and 1800s. These fraternities were hubs for students to discuss political, social, and literary events of their time beyond their curriculums.

However, most of these sororities were dominated by white people and excluded people of color, according to Ross. This led African-American students in universities to form the sororities that are today part of the Divine Nine. These organizations aim to uplift Black communities and promote solidarity.

Alpha Kappa Alpha established an ivy leaf as their official symbol, and their members are often seen sporting salmon pink and apple green colors, the sorority's official colors.

Some prominent members of the AKA include Constance Baker Motley, the first female attorney of the Legal Defense Fund, Democratic Representative, Sheila Jackson Lee, noble laureate author Toni Morrison, mathematicians Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughan, and NASA astronaut Mae Jemison.

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Why Alpha Kappa Alpha could play a key role in Kamala Harris's presidential campaign

Vice President Kamala Harris At AKA Sorority (Image via Getty)

Vice President Kamala Harris joined AKA as a fourth-year student and has been a member since then, as the members of the sorority supported her in her rise up the political ranks of the United States.

As reported by BBC, Harris talked about her AKA membership in an interview in 2019:

"Throughout your life, you find friends who become family and – like family – they help shape you and your life experiences. For me, that was the women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. who became my sisters."

When Harris became Joe Biden's running mate in the 2020 presidential elections, images of AKA and other Divine Nine organizations went viral online. According to BBC, the election result was partly affected by a major Black turnout of votes.

If Kamala Harris becomes the official Democratic nominee for President following Biden's departure, she could become the first Black woman (or woman of color) and AKA member to become President of the United States.

As per BBC, a Sunday night's Zoom call, a group comprising Divine Nine members called Win With Black Women, helped raise more than $1 million for Harris's campaign within three hours.

The support of the Divine Nine, and AKA members in particular, could play a significant role for Harris in the upcoming presidential elections.