Since 1908, Alpha Kappa Alpha Inc. sorority and its members have left their mark in many sectors and have impacted communities and spaces.
Influential members include Phylicia Rashad, Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, Maya AngelouToni Morrison and Vice President Kamala Harris, according to ESSENCE.
Harris was officially sworn in as vice president of the United States on January 20, 2021, becoming the first woman, Black, and South Asian American to be elected to the office. While this historic milestone was remarkable, it wasn’t the beginning of her story.
Kamala Harris’s Path to Howard University
Originally from Oakland, California, Harris’ roots are in education and public service, influenced by her mother, Shyamala Gopalan. According to a White House profile, Gopalan earned her doctorate in 1964, the same year Harris was born, and worked as a breast cancer scientist.
Harris’ father, Donald J. Harris, came to the United States from Jamaica to study economics at the University of California, Berkeley. He is currently professor emeritus of economics at Stanford University.
Influenced by her mother’s and father’s academic work, Harris graduated from Westmount High School near Montreal, Canada, where she moved with her mother after her parents divorced. Harris then began her college studies back in the United States has Howard University. Attending one of the country’s HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities) was likely influenced by his parents’ cultural and social upbringing.
In her memoir, “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey,” she discusses her parents’ work and participation in the civil rights movement, as well as her mother’s appreciation for raising her and her sister, Maya, as black girls in America.
“My mother knew full well that she was raising two black girls,” Harris wrote in her memoir. “She knew that her adopted homeland would see Maya and me as black girls, and she was determined to ensure that we would grow into confident, proud black women.”
While attending the HBCU, Harris was affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences Student Council, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., and the debate team, according to a Howard University profile.
Harris A graduate in political science and economics, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1986. She described her time at Howard as pivotal, calling them her “formative years.”
“What Howard taught me is that you can do anything you want without ruling anything out. You can be prom queen and valedictorian. There are no false choices at Howard,” Harris said in a Howard University profile.
From Law School to the White House
After graduating from Howard, Harris attended law school at the University of California, Hastings.
In February 1989, Harris stood up for black students after a Black History Month poster was defaced with racial slurs. According to Politico, Harris stood before about 300 students, faculty and staff, describing the incident and demanding change.
Her law studies led her to become a prosecutor, state attorney general, U.S. Senator from California, and Vice President of the United States.
Kamala Harris launches presidential campaign
Harris is running a historic campaign for the presidency of the United States. After President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential election, Harris took over his campaign operations, leading to a surge in donations.
According to another report from Politico, Harris’ Democratic campaign now has $377 million in cash on hand, $50 million more than the Trump campaign.
Morehouse College Alumni called PAC 1867. Additionally, Harris has seen an increase in support from members of the Divine Nine, which consists of the nine recognized Black Greek-letter organizations (BGLOs).
According to Inside Higher Ed, BGLO members, particularly Alpha Kappa Alpha, have rallied behind the vice president’s campaign for president.
A large number of AKA members participated in a Zoom call attended by 44,000 people. The group, Win With Black Women, held the rally on the day President Biden withdrew from the presidential race. During the meeting, the organization raised $1.5 million for Harris’ campaign, according to the New York Times.
