The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Black sororities’ long push for change
Predecessor ‘women’s clubs’ focused on issues of interest to all American women.
In her speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Kamala Harris saluted seven women who “inspired us to pick up the torch and fight on.”
All but two of them, one of whom was her mother, belonged to Black sororities. Harris also mentioned her own Black sorority, saying: “Family is my beloved Alpha Kappa Alpha.”
Many Americans may have wondered why Harris would invoke sororities on such an occasion. But not me. Like her, I am a proud member of a Black sorority: Delta Sigma Theta, which I joined as a student at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. If I were in Harris’ shoes, accepting such an unprecedented leadership role, I, too, would have paid homage to my sorority as a way to thank those on whose shoulders I stand.
This shoutout also resonated with me because I have researched the history of Black sororities and fraternities, including their dedication to combat discrimination and the lifelong family-like bonds they create.
Forerunners of Black sororities
The nation’s four Black sororities have always differed from white sororities in several ways, in part because of their historical roots.
Their origins are tied to the Black women’s clubs and mutual aid societies that first emerged with the Colored Women’s Progressive Association, established in 1880.
In 1892, after the author and activist Ida B. Wells-barnett distributed her historic anti-lynching speech as a pamphlet, Black women’s clubs sprang up throughout the U.S. in major metropolitan areas and small cities.
These clubs focused on issues of interest to all American women at the time, including education, health and voting rights. But they also sought to combat racism and discrimination.
A call toward service
Young Black women who liked the groups’ insistence on equality and
racial justice responded by creating Black sororities at their colleges. Students at Howard University in Washington, D.C. — Harris’ alma mater — created the first one, Alpha Kappa Alpha, in 1908. Female white students by then had begun to form similar groups on other campuses, many of which barred Black members.
Five of the “Divine Nine” Greek organizations Kamala Harris mentioned in her speech are fraternities, created in response to Black men not being included in traditionally white fraternities.
I believe that Black women created their own sororities as communities of resistance that would allow them to survive and achieve in an oppressive society, refute stereotypes, celebrate their own cultures and fight sexism and racism — including gendered racism.
The 6 women saluted
The historically significant Black women, aside from her mother, whom Harris thanked in her speech were:
■Mary Church Terrell, who founded the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, the largest federation of local Black women’s clubs. After becoming an honorary Delta Sigma Theta member in 1913, decades after graduating from Oberlin College, Terrell wrote the sorority’s oath and code of conduct.
■Mary Mcleod Bethune, who established what is today
Bethune-cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1904. She also became an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta in 1923, a dozen years before founding the National Council of Negro Women, an umbrella group that brought together representatives from different organizations seeking to improve the lives of Black women and their communities.
■Fannie Lou Hamer, who co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in 1964 when the state’s Democratic Party barred Black participation. Her famous words “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired” are still a rallying cry for activists today. She was inducted as an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta.
■Diane Nash, who became a leader and strategist of the student wing of the civil rights movement while attending Howard and then Fisk University. I have found no evidence, however, that Nash belonged to a Black sorority.
■Constance Baker Motley, who was the first Black woman to argue a case before the Supreme Court — winning 9 of the 10 cases she argued before the court as an NAACP attorney. She was also the first Black woman to become a federal judge, the first to win a New York state senate seat and the first to represent Manhattan as the borough’s president. Alpha Kappa Alpha made her an honorary member.
■Shirley Chisolm, who won a House of Representatives seat in 1968. After becoming the first Black woman in Congress, she helped form the Congressional Black Caucus. Her 1972 presidential bid made her the first woman and Black American to seek the nomination from a major political party. She joined Delta Sigma Theta as a Brooklyn College student.
Continuing a tradition
Even today, the core mission of Black sororities remains civic engagement and racial justice.
All members of sororities and fraternities may donate to social causes or volunteer as part of satisfying school community service requirements. A few make it their main focus.
But across the board, Black sororities emphasize consequential and sustained community service, while their members are students and also once they’ve graduated from college. This is also true of the few white women who have joined Black sororities over the years.
Like with biological families where members remain in the family no matter what, for Black women, sorority affiliation usually becomes a permanent part of their identity and an enduring source of pride and support.
Many members of Black sororities remain active and engaged for the rest of their lives. They join local chapters, changing their affiliation whenever they move. Through this practice, their bond of sisterhood remains intact.
When I moved to North Texas, for example, local sorority members reached out to me. They helped me acclimate and make connections so that I immediately felt welcome. I also remain engaged with the sorority chapter I joined at Longwood by mentoring students, donating to scholarship funds and through other means.
As Harris made clear in her speech, she believes she stands on the shoulders of phenomenal women who, years after they blazed trails, taught today’s Black women how to be persistent in creating change that benefits our communities, and how to teach others to follow in our footsteps.
They taught us to lift as we climb.
What’s different about this latest vaccine?
The Pfizer-biontech and Moderna vaccines are made using messenger RNA, a technology that gives instructions for making a harmless piece of what is called the “spike protein.” The spike protein is found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID19. The proteins made with the MRNA instructions activate the immune system, teaching it to see the spike protein as foreign and develop antibodies to fight it.
The vaccine by Janssen Biotech, owned by Johnson & Johnson, uses a different approach for delivering the genetic instructions for creating the coronavirus spike protein. Its vaccine uses an inactivated virus, called an adenovirus, which is a common virus that can cause a range of diseases, such as colds and pinkeye.
While the use of weakened or killed viruses for vaccines is not new, there haven’t been other adenovirus vaccines approved by public health authorities for people. But clinical trials are underway for adenovirus-based vaccines for HIV, Ebola, Zika and malaria, among other diseases.
What are the advantages of this new vaccine?
The vaccine requires only a single dose, rather than the two doses required for the MRNA vaccines, and it can become protective as early as 14 days after administration. The vaccine also can be stored in refrigerators for at least three months, the company says, while the new MRNA vaccines require much colder storage. Those advantages make it easier to distribute the vaccine in rural areas and administer it to masses of people during the pandemic.
How effective is it?
A review by the Food and Drug Administration found that the vaccine is highly effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths 28 days after immunization. In the clinical trials, no one who was vaccinated died or required hospitalization once the vaccine took full effect.
Studies conducted in the U.S., South Africa and Central and South America showed it to be less effective, though, than the MRNA vaccines at preventing moderate illness, with an efficacy rate of 66% overall. That’s likely due, at least in part, to a decrease in effectiveness against the variant first found in South Africa.
The company’s trial showed it 72% effective in the U.S. against moderate to severe COVID-19.
Studies showed the vaccine protection was generally consistent across race and age groups, the company says.
Is it safe?
The FDA found no specific safety concerns with the vaccine, and no allergic reactions were reported in clinical trials.
Among the study participants, the most common side effects were soreness at the injection site, headaches, fatigue and muscle pain. Those were generally mild to moderate and more common in those ages 18 to 59 than to older participants in the trials.
Emergency use authorization of the vaccine means that the FDA considers that the benefits from the vaccine outweigh any risks.
Should people consider waiting for the Pfizerbiontech or Moderna vaccines, which have higher efficacy?
No, don’t wait, experts say. They urge people to take whichever vaccine is available to them and focus on why it’s important to get the vaccine in the first place — to avoid hospitalization and death. Experts emphasize the results from Johnson & Johnson’s clinical trials have shown the vaccine to be 100% effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths.
Waiting for a preferred vaccine would slow down efforts to vaccinate people, leaving more at risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
However, those who have had serious allergic reactions to other vaccines should consult with their physician. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that those with a severe allergic reaction to any ingredient in the Pfizer-biontech or Moderna vaccines not get them.
The FDA said there were no reports of any severe allergic reactions, like anaphylaxis, among those who received the J&J shot in clinical trials.
How many doses will J&J supply and when will they be available?
An advisory panel of the FDA holds a public meeting today to consider J&J’S request for emergency use authorization. If the independent vaccine and infectious disease experts on the panel support emergency use, then it’s up to the FDA to decide.
The company says it will have 4 million doses available to ship immediately as soon as the vaccine is authorized, although earlier it had pledged to have 10 million available by the end of February. Company officials now say they can have 20 million doses available to the U.S. government by the end of March. The U.S. has agreed to buy 100 million doses of the vaccine by June.
Federal officials said the vaccine will be distributed similar to the current allocation process.
Who can get the vaccine?
Authorization is expected to be for adults 18 and older. No COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized yet for young children. However, the Pfizer-biontech vaccine is available for those ages 16 and 17.
The Rev. James Conrad, pastor of Towne View Baptist Church in Kennesaw, said the church will not appeal a decision Tuesday by the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee to disfellowship it for affirming LGBTQ members.
“We’re not going to try to convince them to change their position,” said Conrad, who has led the congregation for 27 years. “That’s just not going to happen.”
The decision followed the recommendations of the denomination’s Credentials Committee and was reached during an executive session in Nashville, Tennessee, according to the Baptist Press, the official news service of the SBC.
In addition to Towne View, St. Matthews Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, was also disfellowshipped for supporting the inclusion of LGBTQ congregants.
Conrad said in an interview Tuesday night that the church has not been officially notified by the Nashville-based SBC, which is the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, with more than 14.5 million members nationwide.
However, “we know it happened, and we knew it was going to happen,” he said. “Had they decided not to, that would have really made the news.”
He said the church was moving forward and said in a previous interview that it may be independent for a while. He did not rule out joining another group at some point in the future.
The SBC opposes same-sex marriage and believes that homosexuality goes against biblical teachings.
Tuesday’s decision means Towne View will not be allowed to send messengers to the denomination’s annual convention.
Messengers are very influential in the Southern Baptist Convention and can elect officers, approve trustees and vote on the direction of the convention until the next annual meeting. The 2021 annual meeting will be held in June in Nashville.
The situation began to unfold in 2019 when a same-sex couple approached Conrad to gauge how
welcome their family would be at the Shiloh Road church. There was nothing in the bylaws that prevented them from joining, and the church began the process of clarifying its stance on the issue.
Conrad said the church probably lost about 30% of its membership pretty quickly, but said he would do it all over again if given the chance.
Towne View has benefited from opening its doors to all, he said.
“They have helped us be a better church, and we are all growing and learning together,” he said. “We have a transgender woman working with us, and I’ve told her if I get it wrong, just let me know. These folks have shown us tremendous grace. Everybody is welcomed here, and we believe that is the welcome that Jesus would offer.”
He said he doesn’t hold any ill will against the SBC.
“We’re not mad at anybody,” he said. “We’re not mad at the SBC. We don’t want to convey that, and we also don’t want to be used by any group for any agenda.”
The Rev. Jeremy Hall, associate pastor of the church, said he has a sense of relief.
”Now it’s all about the future,” he said. “That’s how I’m feeling. I’m ready.”
In other action, the denomination also cut ties with two other churches: Antioch Baptist Church in Sevierville, Tennessee, for hiring a pastor who confessed to two counts of statutory rape; and West Side Baptist Church in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, for employing a registered sex offender as its pastor, according to the Baptist Press.