Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. isn’t too pleased with what Donald Trump said about Kamala Harris‘ recent visit to its biennial gathering.
Sigma Gamma Rho’s Biennial Boule event is a time of the year when members worldwide come together to connect, fellowship and discuss their national community initiatives, including maternal health, voting rights and food disparities. Over 100,000 members gathered at Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center, NewsOne reported.
“The public meeting was an opportunity to commemorate the philanthropic efforts of our sisterhood,” Marica T. Harris, the sorority’s 26th International Grand Basileus, said in an interview with NewsOne. “Vice President Kamala Harris brought forth greetings to an audience of ten thousand community leaders, entrepreneurs, civic leaders, and corporate partners.”
Sigma Gamma Rho is part of the Divine Nine, which includes other Black sororities. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Zeta Phi Beta, Sorority, Inc. Each organization came to be in the early 1900s when racial tension prevented Black college students from participating in Greek life. These groups quickly emerged as a safe space for Black youth across college and university campuses.
Harris, who is a Howard University grad and proud Alpha Kappa Alpha member, stopped by Sigma Gamma Rho’s event while she was in town to deliver a eulogy at the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee‘s funeral service.
A couple of weeks later during an interview with political commentator Hugh Hewitt, Trump alluded to the Biennial Boule as something minuscule and called it a “party,” which minimized the importance of the occasion.
“She went to a sorority party and a very unimportant one,” Trump told Hewitt, per Bossip. “They have them numerous times during the year. It’s a shame.”
Trump attacks Kamala Harris for attending a Black sorority event: “A very unimportant one” pic.twitter.com/jEOBtxKiX5
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 21, 2024
In response, Marica T. Harris addressed Trump’s inaccurate comments via Instagram.
In part, her statement read: “Our Public Meeting was an opportunity to commemorate the philanthropic efforts of our sisterhood. Vice President Kamala Harris brought forth greetings to an audience of community leaders, entrepreneurs, civic leaders, and corporate partners. This historic occasion was broadcast via hundreds of media outlets globally, which amplified the reach of the event to an at home audience. Her message aligned with the critical issues that Sigma Gamma Rho sought to address during the Boule such as education, women’s rights, maternal health, mental health, general wellness, voting rights, food disparities, and financial support for underrepresented populations and youth.”
She added, “The event was not a party or ‘unimportant’ as referenced by former President Donald Trump, but an opportunity to highlight our organization’s achievements and reaffirm our commitment to service.”
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As Blavity reported, Kamala Harris recently made history as the first Black woman and first South Asian woman to lead a major party nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 22. Nearly 29 million people tuned into Harris’ speech on Thursday night. If she wins, she’ll become the first female president of the U.S.