One of the nation’s leading Black sororities is condemning former President Trump’s attacks on Vice President Harris during Tuesday’s presidential debate over her attending Divine Nine conventions.
Harris spoke at multiple Divine Nine sorority boulés earlier this year, including one during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress in July.
Trump accused her at the time of attending “very unimportant” parties, a slam he repeated at the ABC debate in Philadelphia.
But the comments “undermine” the significance of the boulés, said Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., one of the Divine Nine chapters that was established in 1920 at Harris’s alma mater, Howard University.
“Former President Donald Trump’s efforts to undermine the credibility of the importance of our national convention is not only disheartening, but also disrespectful to us and the other historically Black Greek Letter Organizations that make up the Divine Nine,” the sorority said in a statement on Wednesday.
Divine Nine boulés often include keynote speakers, workshops and networking events. They are sometimes described as a way to strengthen the bonds of sisterhood among the sororities.
Harris is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, another Divine Nine sorority.
Many Black Greek-letter organizations were founded during the rise of Jim Crow laws and widespread racial violence. They provided opportunities for Black students to join Greek life at predominantly white institutions that barred them from participation.
“Collectively, our organizations have been on the forefront of historic social action and change that have helped Black Americans, women, and other disenfranchised communities gain access to the same civil rights that were once legally denied our communities,” Zeta Phi Beta said.
The sorority added that it will continue to support efforts to preserve and expand upon social, health and economic justice for the communities it serves.
“We will not let the hard work and legacy of our members to be framed as a “sorority party,”’ the group said. “Currently, our organization has joined forces with all Divine Nine organizations on an unprecedented voter mobilization effort and these continued attacks on our organization’s character will only fuel our momentum to educate and mobilize voters.”