SLOAN: Kamala Harris is a lot of firsts.
She's the first Black woman to be vice president,
the first South Asian woman,
and the first veep to come from a Black sorority,
which is itself the first Black sorority.
Now, when most people hear the word "sorority,"
they're usually picturing something very... specific.
So I sat down with three women from Black sororities
to explain why it's such a big deal
to have a vice president from the Divine Nine.
So, first of all, for those that are not in the know--
I know, but some people don't know--
what is the Divine Nine?
The Divine Nine are nine Black Greek letter organizations--
uh, five fraternities, four sororities.
SLOAN: Picture it like the houses in Harry Potter,
except this time with Black people in them.
These organizations, uh,
are founded at the undergraduate level.
Um, as a whole, we really focus
on giving back to our communities.
ALICIA CALVIN: In addition,
you don't stop serving at undergrad.
And honey,
you will still be a member if you die.
A lifetime commitment.
So when you say "life," you mean out here
building HUD houses till the day I die?
-Is that what we're doing? -That's right.
SLOAN: Really? Even court-ordered
community service ends at some point.
But the idea of serving the community has been at the core
of the Divine Nine ever since the early 1900s,
when Black students barred
from white fraternities and sorority decided,
"(bleep), y'all. We'll do our own thing."
WILLIAMS: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated
was founded in 1908 on the campus of Howard University.
And that is the very same chapter
that our vice president was initiated into.
So educated Black women gathering
in the early 1900s, and nobody got arrested?
Well, no one got arrested,
but there was resistance
from the administration of Howard University.
I'm sorry. You're telling me that
an historically Black college
did not want Black women students
to organize as a group?
Well, there's something called, you know, sexism.
-Oh. -And never forget about the misogyny.
But misogyny be damned.
The sororities continued to grow,
and so did their demands.
The very first act of the Deltas
coming together in 1913
was the march in the famous women's
suffrage parade in Washington, D.C.
We knew that some of the organizers
of that march wanted Black women to be segregated
and march in the back,
but Black women refused to do that.
That's the weird kind of paradox
that Black women live in, where it's,
I'm going to a Black college,
but they don't want us to organize.
And then, as a woman, I'm trying to get the right to vote,
but because I'm dealing with white women,
now I have to deal with us being segregated.
So we kind of just sit here and just go, "All right."
? Who's gonna hate us today? ?
These women could have just stuck
with step shows and high teas,
but they're out in these streets
demanding anti-lynching legislation
and marching for fair jobs and voting rights. Again.
The list of men and women of the Divine Nine read
like famous Black folks trading cards--
Zora Neale Hurston, Hattie McDaniel,
Martin Luther King.
GIDDINGS: Shirley Chisolm, Barbara Jordan.
WILLIAMS: Toni Morrison, U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood,
Ava DuVernay, Coretta Scott King.
CALVIN: Reverend Jesse Jackson,
the Reverend Raphael Warnock.
You've seen us, and you didn't know you were talking to us.
Okay, the Divine Nine have people in the White House,
has people in the media,
and has been behind every social movement
since the early 1900s.
Listen, this is a safe space.
You can tell me.
Are y'all the Black Illuminati?
(laughter)
I know you can't tell me, right?
But just give me, like, a "Huh," or "Huh," or "Hmm," or a...
I'm staying out of this conversation.
We don't have to be seen to serve.
Yeah. That's what the Illuminati is, girl.
They're out here working, and you can't see 'em.
We can't claim to be members of the Black Illuminati.
I think what you're seeing is what we've seen
for over a hundred plus years.
we're grooming people to go out
and impact the communities that they care about.
SLOAN: Okay, fine. These groups, which the network insists
I cannot call "the Black Illuminati,"
has spent over a century preparing Black women
to run shit, so of course,
it's a big deal that one of their members is now
second in the line to run the country.
I think little brown girls like myself grew up,
you know, imagining people in the White House looking like me,
but to have the true example, it's just amazing.
You know, we have been seeding the soil
of this country for so long,
hoping that we'll see something bloom.
But we never knew if it was going to.
We didn't know if it did, if someone would just uproot it.
But now, with Vice President Kamala Harris,
we see a future that's embodied.
We see the results of all of that work
and blood, sweat and tears.
Absolutely. I-I am just... I love you.
-Let me just say I love... -I love you back.
It's really, really beautiful to be able to share,
even this moment with you ladies, you know, right now.
The ascension of Kamala Harris
centers What we've known for centuries about Black women.
Uh, we've-we've led the way.
We have, uh, exemplified excellence.
And I think it's just a moment for us
to just trust Black women.
SLOAN: The story of Kamala Harris
and the story of the women of the Divine Nine
boils down to one lesson America keeps forgetting--
we've been out here.
I'm talking about all Black women,
including those in a group whose work may sound like a secret.
CALVIN: You've seen us,
and you didn't know you were talking to us.
SLOAN: But only because y'all haven't been watching.
Trust Black women. It works.