Although different in their own way, each sorority of the Divine Nine shares one thing in common: one of their core principles is sisterhood. For many women, joining a sorority means joining a lifelong sisterhood, and for Vice President Kamala Harris, that lifelong sisterhood began in the spring of 1986 at Howard University.
Harris joined the Alpha chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha during her time at Howard. Over the years, she has gone by many names: Attorney General, Senator, Vice President, and potentially the first female President of the United States. But to her 37-line sisters, who together make up the 38 Jewels of Iridescent Splendor, she is just Kamala, or ‘C Cubed.’ Calm, cool, and collected is how Harris’ line sisters would describe the Democratic presidential nominee. In an article from the Howard University Newswire, we get an insight on the bond that Harris formed with her line sisters almost 40 years ago.
Monique Poydras and the rest of Harris’ line sister made an appearance at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to show their support for Harris.
“So, we have gathered here today because we are so excited about our line sister, Kamala Harris, Vice President Harris,” Poydras said. “We’re here to celebrate her and also to support her in her nomination for president of the United States, and we’re looking at an individual who’s not only qualified, she’s qualified, overqualified for the role. And we couldn’t be more proud and humbled about our beginnings at Howard University.”
One of Harris’ closest friends, Valerie Pippen-Coutee, shared details of the over 40-year friendship she shares with Harris. Before becoming line sisters, they were best friends. She even shared that she was the one who convinced Harris to join Alpha Kappa Alpha.
“I remember I had pledged already, and I remember saying to her, ‘Hey, you should go out for the sorority. You should really do it.’ She was like, ‘I don’t know. I don’t know what I want to do.’ I was like, ‘Look, you really need to do it.’ And she said, ‘I’m gonna do it.’ And so she did, and the rest is history.”
Harris’ sorority has been supporting her throughout her entire political career. Some shared stories from her Attorney General and Senator days.
“We have celebrated her along the way,” Harris' line sister Inez Brown said. “When she was serving in Los Angeles, when she became the Attorney General, some of us were present at her swearing-in ceremony and celebration when she became a U.S. Senator; we also celebrated with her in that moment. We were in the room when she took her oath and when she was running for president.”
“We galvanized, and we did what we could do to influence and encourage people to register to vote and to support financially, because we know money speaks, and that is an important part of every election.”
Not only did her line sisters speak on the strides she has made in her career, they also touched on the kind of person Harris is. Many of them spoke highly of Harris and her character. They want people to know that Harris is a person too.
“I just want people to know how much of a genuine person Kamala is, how loving and caring and funny, like we both love to laugh,” she said. “And that’s one thing we always had in common was laughter. And I just remember how she and I would just look at each other, just start cracking up.”
“We are here to say she is authentic, and she is genuine, and she has never shifted that. No matter what role she has served in. We love her for that, and I think she absolutely loves us for being there for her as line sisters and not people who are just enamored with her space in life.”
For women sorority life and sisterhood end in college, but for the women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. as well as Harris and her line sisters. That bond is for life.
“The founding of our illustrious sorority came at a time when we didn’t have anywhere,” Poydras explained. “We only had each other. So, we had to create our own organization so that we could be a part of something special. This is not, ‘Oh, you just, you know, you’re part of an organization in college,’ and then it ends. This is a bond for life, a commitment for life, and that’s what our sisterhood stands for.”
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