Anika Begay
NPR’s Scott Detrow speaks with National Panhellenic Council President Willis Lonzer III about the importance of Black fraternities and sororities ahead of the November elections.
SCOTT DETROW, GUEST:
As Vice President Kamala Harris has secured enough delegates to win the Democratic nomination for president in recent weeks, one group has received a lot of attention for their role in developing Harris as a person and ultimately helping her get to the White House. I’m talking about the Divine Nine. They are a group of nine historically black fraternities and sororities that together have more than 2.5 million active members across the country. Harris is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, so her sudden rise has catapulted these groups into the national spotlight and raises important questions about the role they will play in the upcoming election.
Willis Lonzer III is the president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, also known as the Divine Nine. He is also the president at large of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
WILLIS LONZER III: Thank you very much.
DETROW: I would like to have a broader conversation, but I wanted to start with that big story this week, which was just a few days ago. You saw former President Trump falsely question the vice president’s black identity. And I was wondering, can you share with us what your reaction was when you first heard those remarks?
LONZER: I just brushed it off. There’s so much falsehood that seems to be coming from that campaign and a distortion of the truth or lack thereof. I know from my history of reading about the vice president that that’s not accurate.
DETROW: Sure.
LONZER: And she’s very proud of the legacy that both of her parents have passed on to her. So I feel very comfortable knowing who she is.
DETROW: So let’s talk about the Divine Nine and let’s talk about the election. I mean, first of all, to give a lot of people a little context, I think some people, they hear fraternities, sororities, they think college parties, things like that, you know? What’s the best way to describe the level of involvement from college and beyond over the years for most of the members of the Divine Nine?
LONZER: For many, it starts at the undergraduate level, but there is an opportunity to become a member even after graduation, because our commitment goes beyond the college campus to the larger communities that we live in and serve. And we have, among our members, professionals in business and education, healthcare, law. You name it, we have it.
DETROW: And the vice president is an active member. I know she’s been going to Divine Nine events for years when she’s been running for elected office. Even in the few weeks that she’s been at the top of the ticket, the vice president has been going to several events with Divine Nine organizations. Have you ever been in the room at one of those events and what energy did you feel?
LONZER: I was in Houston when he spoke on Wednesday, and to say it was electrifying is an understatement.
DETROW: Yes.
LONZER: And we saw her and we had a few moments with her to talk to her, and it’s exciting. Regardless of what my particular political views are, just as an equal, she promised to join just one semester before me. It was a really exciting time.
DETROW: I want to read the statement you released shortly after President Biden dropped out of the race. I’ll read it in full here. We, the council, the presidents of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, met and agreed to meet this critical moment in history with an unprecedented, coordinated voter registration, education, and mobilization campaign. This coordinated, nonpartisan voter mobilization effort builds on our shared legacies of social action and service to our communities. Can you tell us what that action will look like?
LONZER: It includes voter education, registration efforts, and outreach efforts, which are not only getting people to the polls, but also making sure that voters are protected and that people are engaged in the community and in the electoral process, serving as election observers, election judges, doing whatever we can to help move this election forward, making sure that people understand why this election is so critical.
DETROW: Yes.
LONZER: Because, what are the issues at stake? Really talking about candidates and their platforms and also the act of actually registering people to vote and making sure that people actually go to the polls to vote, you know, in a nutshell.
DETROW: I think you’ll probably agree with me that almost everything in our country is partisan right now, you know, or could become partisan very quickly.
LONZER: Well, without much care, it can be.
DETROW: Well, can you talk about the focus that you’re going to put into those efforts, then? Because you talk about voter registration, voter protection, voter education. How do you make sure that’s nonpartisan, if that’s clearly an important goal?
LONZER: Well, our rhetoric as our respective organizations is to make sure that we are talking about what those facts are and that when we put out or promote materials, information, we are telling people, this is the time for you to make sure that you are involved, whatever your choice is. But these are the circumstances, and you need to exercise your right as citizens to vote in this country and take care to educate yourself on the voting process, what our Constitution says as citizens of this country and make sure that you understand what the circumstances are that are relevant to you at play in this election. So be careful to understand what you want and read both platforms and make sure that you know what you are hearing and what you are going to get.
DETROW: I’m Willis Lonzer III, the president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Thank you very much.
LONZER: The pleasure is mine.
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