The infamous historically black Greek-lettered sororities under the National Pan-Hellenic Council united for one great cause that went viral in the past week. In support of the pivotal upcoming election in November, these organizations have decided to unify through an initiative called “Stroll to the Polls.”
“Strolling” or “Stepping” is a tradition of the Divine Nine, the nine sororities and fraternities that make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) consisting of the sororities Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Zeta Phi Beta, Sigma Gamma Rho, and fraternities Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Alpha Phi Alpha, Phi Beta Sigma and Iota Phi Theta.
The strolling tradition dates back to the early 1900s, where members of these organizations would line dance in formation usually at a party or step show.
The “Stroll to the Polls” initiative was ignited by a special shoutout from California Sen. Kamala Harris. During her acceptance speech as Democratic vice presidential nominee, Harris mentioned her sisters, the Alpha Kappa Alphas and other black Greek-lettered organizations.
Shortly after Harris made her monumental speech, the Democratic National Committee began receiving several donations in the amount of $19.08. It was later determined that the donations were a tribute to Harris from her sorority, which was founded in 1908.
Maisha Land, an Alpha Kappa Alpha herself, wanted to capitalize on the moment by combining the tradition of strolling with mobilizing voting registration.
“It was only supposed to be four of us, four or five. It grew into over 20 women because people were just so excited,” Land said. “Never in one million years would I have ever thought that this would be a banner, a flagship for voting!”
To help the movement’s progression, Land, who is also the owner of Gems of Georgia Dance Studio gathered members from multiple sororities for some epic practice sessions. The creation of a culmination of images and online videos would eventually go viral.
The dynamic visual of these women coming together all for the cause of bringing more awareness to voting and voter registration is perfectly timed as the year 2020 calls for a unified front in the black community.
Although the Divine Nine make a conscious effort to not endorse one political party over another, the sororities and fraternities have a history of delving into community engagements that support political literacy and continuous learning.
With less than two weeks until the presidential elections, every bit of effort counts in making people aware of how much their vote matters.
See the viral “Stroll to the Polls” below:
