The advice flying around the last night of the Democratic National Convention this past August, at Chicago's United Center, was to not leave your seat after 9 P.M. All day, social media and the convention hall had been abuzz with rumors that the night would end with a performance by Beyoncé. Or maybe Taylor Swift. Or maybe, in a show of interracial solidarity the world had never seen before, they would perform together.
Although the superstars never materialized, the crowd was still electric as it waited for the true headliner of the night: Vice President Kamala Harris, who would be accepting the Democratic Presidential nomination. An hour before Harris appeared, the comedian D. L. Hughley took the stage and addressed what was perhaps the most enthusiastic demographic in the arena: members of Harris's sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha.
"Where those A.K.A.s at?" he said, and nodded as the room filled with cheers. "In three months, ain't gon' be no living with y'all."
If Harris wins the election, she will not only be the first female President; she'll also be the first member of A.K.A. to reach the Oval Office. Since its inception, in 1908, A.K.A., a historically Black sorority, has never endorsed a political party or a candidate-as a nonprofit organization, it isn't allowed to. The sorority's leadership had strongly discouraged the display of A.K.A. insignia at the D.N.C.
There would be no pearl-encrusted ivyleaf pins, no pavé brooches spelling out the organization's founding year.
This story is from the October 28, 2024 edition of The New Yorker.
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This story is from the October 28, 2024 edition of The New Yorker.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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