Kamala Harris' sorority sisters raise $1.5 million. What is the 'Divine Nine?'

After weeks of wondering if President Joe Biden would continue to run despite a poor debate showing and increasing pressure to step aside, wondering if dropping it would lead to party infighting at a wild open convention, and wondering if Democrats would respond to a President Kamala Harris, we have the answer.

Nearly partywide support has coalesced behind her with amazing speed and her campaign has seen over $100 million donated in the first day and a half after Biden stepped down and endorsed Harris, according to CBS News. And now the Divine Nine is mobilizing.

Presidents of the National Pan-Hellenic Council — also known as the Divine Nine, an umbrella organization for nine historically Black fraternities and sororities — did not endorse Harris Monday. But just under 24 hours after Biden tweeted his support of Harris as the best candidate for president of the United States, it announced a "massive coordinated voter mobilization campaign."

"We, the Council of Presidents of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (Divine 9), have met and agreed to meet this critical moment in history with an unprecedented voter registration, education and mobilization coordinated campaign," the council said in a release on Facebook. "This campaign will 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 9 stands in unity to Get Out The Vote. We are stronger together."

If elected, Harris would be the first woman, the first ethnic Asian, and the second Black president.

Alpha Kappa Alpha raises over $1.5 million for Kamala Harris

On Monday night, the "Win With Black Women" group, largely consisting of Harris' sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA), met on their weekly call and raised over $1.5 million for her campaign in just under three hours.

"There were 44,000 women on this call, that just shows you the power that we have, and it made you feel proud to be a part of the movement," Shariah Dixon-Turner, the president of the Rho Theta Omega Chapter of AKA, told ABC 6 Action News.

Fellow AKA member Florida Rep. Ashley Ganntt supported her in AKA sisterhood. "I am 1908% in with you Madam Soror Vice-President!!!!" she posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Kamala Harris' Alpha Kappa Alpha connections run deep

Harris joined AKA in the 1980s when she attended Howard and their mutual support has continued ever since. Harris' AKA sisters have long rallied around her, once referred to by the New York Times as her "secret weapon."

AKA, the oldest Greek-letter organization created by African-American college-educated women, according to the sorority's website, was founded on January 15, 1908, at historically Black Howard University. It boasts more than 360,000 college-educated women in chapters located in 12 countries.

AKA contributed more than $200,000 to the 2020 Biden-Harris campaign, with members individually donating exactly $19.08 to honor the year the sorority was founded.

Earlier this month, Harris delivered a keynote address at Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.’s biennial convention in Dallas, calling on Black women voters to take action this election season, according to CNN. Last year she spoke to an audience of 7,000 Delta Sigma Theta Sorority sorority sisters at their 56th annual convention to thank them for their support.

"Throughout your life, you find friends who become family and – like family – they help shape you and your life experiences," Harris said in a statement to USA TODAY in 2019. "For me, that was the women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. who became my sisters."

During the 2020 campaign, Cynthia Howell, executive director of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., said the organization celebrates members who are serving their communities and holding public office, but it does not endorse political candidates. But AKA members themselves turned out in force to Harris rallies and speeches.

"Having my AKA sisters behind me, seeing them at events across the country, is a reminder to me as I run for president, because I know if I’m not on the stage, there’s a certain voice that will not be present on that stage, a voice that must be heard," Harris said.

Who are famous AKA members in addition to Kamala Harris?

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. is home to several famous sisters. Notable AKA alumni include:

• Maya Angelou, poet and civil rights activist

• Coretta Scott King, author, activist and wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

• Rosa Parks, civil rights activist

• Ella Fitzgerald, jazz singer

• Alicia Keys, Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter

• Phylicia Rashad, Emmy nominated actress

• Jada Pinkett Smith, actress and talk show host

• Wanda Sykes, actress and comedian

Where can I find Alpha Kappa Alpha chapters in Florida?

There are 45 AKA graduate chapters and 18 undergraduate chapters in Florida, according to the AKA website. Here's the list.

What is the Divine Nine?

The "Divine Nine" is a nickname for the National Pan-Hellenic Council coined by Lawrence Ross, Alpha Phi Alpha member and author, in his book "The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities."

The council was founded at Howard University, a historically Black university in Washington, D.C., in 1930 by Kappa Alpha Psi, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Omega Psi Phi, Delta Sigma Theta and Zeta Phi Beta from "a need for mutual support," Ross said. It expanded to include Alpha Phi Alpha and Phi Beta Sigma in 1931, Sigma Gamma Rho in 1937 and Iota Phi Theta in 1997.

Not all members are Black − Willis Lonzer, general president of Alpha Phi Alpha, noted the fraternity has been interracial since 1945 − but the needs that sparked the creation of the Divine Nine organizations remain today, according to the NPHC. The council said its primary purpose continues to be community awareness and "educational, economic, and cultural service activities."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Kamala Harris' Alpha Kappa Alpha sisters help raise $1.5 million