Representative Tommie F. Brown is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She previously served as Chairwoman for her chapter’s Health and Social Services Committee, and she maintained a connection with the organization through her legislative years. As a part of this connection, Representative Brown helped facilitate the Tennessee AKA Day on Capitol Hill. This event allowed Alpha Kappa Alpha members to spend the day at the Tennessee State Capitol attending presentations, speaking to legislators, and participating in committee meetings.
Many Black Greek-letter organizations were formed at a time of widespread racism and racial violence. Jim Crow laws were on the rise, and Black students were excluded from Greek life in universities. Considering this, it is unsurprising that these organizations have maintained a focus on social awareness and civic engagement since their inception. Black sororities were a driving force in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. The Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Zeta Phi Beta, and Sigma Gamma Rho sororities jointly organized a non-partisan “Get out the Vote” drive for the 1960 election. They also executed a letter-writing campaign in an effort to pass a civil rights bill that would remove the discriminatory practices keeping black voters from the polls.
The power held by Black sororities to support political and social movements is becoming even more apparent with the upcoming U. S. Presidential election. Vice President Kamala Harris has been a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority for nearly forty years. Since Vice President Harris secured the position of 2024 presidential nominee for the Democratic Party, AKA and other Black sororities and fraternities in the National Pan-Hellenic Council have increased efforts to encourage their members to vote. This group of nine sororities and fraternities, called the Divine Nine, do not officially endorse any political candidate due to their status as a charity organization. Although not supporting any particular candidate, this push for voter engagement from community members has the potential to greatly impact the 2024 Presidential election.
In addition to the Tommie F. Brown Papers, information for this post was drawn from articles published by Time Magazine, The New York Times, and The Guardian that examine the socio-political power of Black sororities and fraternities; information was also drawn from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture’s article “The Historical Legacy of the Divine Nine.”
Support for “‘One of the Black Legislators’: Providing Access to the Tommie F. Brown Papers” is provided by an Archival Projects grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.