The ladies of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated gathered in the convention center in Downtown Indianapolis to celebrate 60 years of their national social action commission. At the 56th annual luncheon, the sorority members welcomed Vice President Kamala Harris as their keynote speaker to honor the decades of activism that have defined the sorority.
Stefanie Brown James, representing the sorority’s National Social Action Commission, began by addressing the crowd with a reminder of the luncheon’s aim.
“I am proud that we collectively continue to do the work of social action,” said Brown James.
She highlighted the causes the sorority has championed over the years, including maternal health, education, food scarcity and education.
“Delta Sigma Theta is social action,” Brown James said. “We show up and we show out.”
In her introduction of the vice president, Delta’s National President Elsie Cooke Holmes said that Kamala Harris’s story is “rooted in activism.” Harris’s track record of social action began in childhood lead by her mother’s example and has continued throughout her career.
“She is the first, but her actions clearly demonstrate that she will not be the last,” said Cooke Holmes of Harris.
Adorned in red, the crowd of women stood to their feet as Harris took the stage.
As a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Harris acknowledged the relationship among the sororities and fraternities that make up the Divine 9.
“When I look at all of you, I see family,” Harris said.
She recognized the original mission of the Delta’s founding members who, she said, created the organization based on the pressing need for social action at that time.
“The founders of this sorority believed in sisterhood, scholarship and service,” Harris said.
She went on to thank the Deltas for their instrumental role in the 2020 election through voter registration drives across the country.
“You showed up and you helped elect President Joe Biden,” Harris said to the now cheering crowd.
The vice president shared many of the political issues that she and Biden have made a priority since being in office. Capping rising medical costs, eliminating lead pipes, funding HBCUs, addressing the maternal mortality rate, reproductive rights and justice system reform were among the issues that Biden and she have worked toward resolving since being elected.
Throughout her speech, Harris paid homage to Dorothy Height, Shirley Chisolm, Ida B. Wells, and Barbara Jordan – esteemed members of Delta Sigma Theta who left a legacy of activism that she encouraged the current members to continue.
“I am also here to declare, we have more work to do,” Harris said to the enthusiastic audience.
“Let us continue to stand together and fight for what is right,” said Harris as she brought her speech to a close. “Let us fight with the knowledge and the faith that when we fight, we win.”
The sorority’s national convention will continue through July 23 in Indianapolis.
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Contact Editor-in-Chief Camike Jones at CamikeJ@indyrecorder.com or 317-762-7850.
Camike Jones is the Editor-in-Chief of the Indianapolis Recorder. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Jones has a lifelong commitment to advocacy and telling stories that represent the community.
