Vagney Hampshire: Kamala Harris is my sorority sister. Here’s how her Texas book tour stop inspired me.
By Vagney Hampshire
Disclaimer: The thoughts and reflections in this piece are mine alone and do not represent Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. or its members.
The moment I stepped into The Hobby Center in Houston, my eyes were drawn to the familiar pink and green of my sorority sisters filing through the doors. For those who might not know, salmon pink and apple green are the colors of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA), the first Greek-letter organization founded by Black college-educated women.
Alpha Kappa Alpha is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, social, and service organization that is part of the Divine Nine, a group of nine African American fraternities and sororities created to provide support, community, and leadership opportunities for Black students at a time when they were excluded from many college campuses. The sorority, which is invite-only, includes over 380,000 initiated members across more than 1,096 undergraduate and graduate chapters in 13 nations and territories. Areas of focus for AKA include voter education, registration, and mobilization efforts, not as occasional projects, but as core institutional commitments that have empowered civic engagement in Black communities during local, state, and national elections for over a century.
Among the crowd were sisters, including myself, and many others from all backgrounds who had come to hear former Vice President Kamala Harris speak. She joined the sisterhood in the 1980s as a student at Howard University, one of the nation’s most well-known historically Black universities and the birthplace of our sorority.
I first saw her speak in July 2024 in Dallas at the 71st Boule, our sorority’s biennial national convention. I remember feeling a surge of pride and awe watching this confident, brilliant, and accomplished woman, then Vice President of the United States, address a sea of her sorority sisters, including me.
Earlier this month, I sat in a room full of people at the Houston stop of her 107 Days book tour. Sprinkled among the crowd were my sorority sisters, their presence a quiet reminder of the bonds we share. The inspiration that day was tinged with sadness as I reflected on the campaign’s outcome and the challenges Vice President Harris faced – challenges that exist at the intersection of gender, race, and the often unspoken expectations placed on candidates who represent “firsts.”
In her book, she wrote, “The Divine Nine has been an engine of uplift for generations of Black college men and women, instilling a love and celebration of excellence, philanthropy, and service to all mankind. My Divine Nine family would show up for me throughout the campaign.”
Those words came alive that day, reminding me that institutional legacy is more than tradition—it is infrastructure. Organizations like Alpha Kappa Alpha and the broader Divine Nine don’t just create social networks, they serve as platforms for leadership opportunities and civic engagement. Members serve as volunteer deputy registrars, lead voter registration drives, and mobilize communities to vote. Over time, these coordinated efforts strengthen civic participation and empower communities to have a voice in shaping their futures.
When Kamala greeted the crowd with a “What’s up, Harris County?”—the county I grew up in—that tinge of sadness faded. She could have stepped away after serving as Vice President and running a historic campaign, yet she chose to be here, speaking directly to the community.
Surrounded by Alpha Kappa Alpha sisters and the broader Houston audience, she reminded me of the power of representation and the way that individual achievement often comes from collective investment and coordinated action. For the city, it was a rare chance to engage with a leader who has shaped national conversations on justice, equity, and public service. The room buzzed with pride and inspiration, showing what’s possible when ambition meets dedication.
Being in the room made me reflect on sisterhood and the power of one person living their values and history. I felt immediate joy when sorority sisters I had never met acknowledged me in my pink and green dress, some with a smile across the room, others coming over to introduce themselves, each one a reminder that we belong to something larger than ourselves.
More than a book tour, this moment was a lesson on the importance of community: it is how we find purpose, power, and hope, especially in times like these.
Me holding the book 107 Days by Kamala Harris at The Hobby Center in Houston
Me (bottom row, second from the left) with a group of sorority members.
Kamala Harris waving to the crowd during her book tour stop in Houston.
Vagney Hampshire is a journalist and social media strategist with a journalism degree from The University of Texas. She has earned leadership and public value certifications from Harvard and Yale University, and currently leads social media strategy for COURIER Texas Newsroom. Her reporting has also appeared in the Houston Chronicle and AP News.
Photos by Dawn Jones and Vagney Hampshire
