[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 37 (Thursday, February 29, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H746-H747]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING THE DIVINE NINE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Illinois (Ms. Kelly) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Black 
History

[[Page H747]]

Month by honoring the organizations that have served as the training 
ground for many of our Nation's most extraordinary leaders. I am 
talking about the Divine Nine, the historically Black fraternities and 
sororities of the National Pan-Hellenic Council. They serve as a 
pipeline for Black leaders across business, academia, and, of course, 
right here in the Halls of Congress.
  The Divine Nine organizations are:
  Alpha Phi Alpha, whose colors are black and gold, founded in 1906 at 
Cornell University.
  My colleagues who are a part of Alpha are: CBC Chair  Steve Horsford; 
Congressman Emanuel Cleaver; Congressmen   Danny Davis, Al Green,   
Gregory Meeks,   David Scott, and  Bobby Scott; the National Urban 
League president, Marc Morial; and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, 
Jr. Their honorable general president is Dr. Willis L. Lonzer, III, my 
constituent.
  Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, whose colors are salmon pink and apple 
green, was founded in 1908 at Howard University. Their sisterhood 
proudly boasts Vice President Kamala Harris; my colleagues Sheila 
Jackson Lee, Terri Sewell, Frederica Wilson, Alma Adams, Bonnie Watson 
Coleman, Lauren Underwood, Lisa Blunt Rochester, and Nikema Williams; 
the late, great Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson; civil rights 
leaders Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King; and my current and former 
staffers Meagan Thompson, April Williams-Luster, Evan Mitchell. Their 
honorable president is Danette Anthony Reed.
  Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, whose colors are crimson and cream, was 
founded in 1911 at Indiana University. Among their notable achievers 
are: Our leader, Hakeem Jeffries; Congressmen Troy Carter, Glenn Ivey, 
and Bennie Thompson; former Congressmen Al Lawson and William Lacy 
Clay; the late Don McEachin, Alcee Hastings, and John Conyers; Atlanta 
mayor, Andre Dickens; tennis champion Arthur Ashe; and my former 
staffers, Brandon Webb and Brandon Garrett. Their former grand 
polemarch was Reuben A. Shelton, III.
  Omega Psi Phi fraternity, whose colors are purple and gold, was 
founded in 1911 at Howard University. They include in their ranks: My 
colleagues, Assistant Leader  Jim Clyburn; Congressman Hank Johnson and 
Congressman Kweisi Mfume; former Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr.; poet, 
playwright, and author Langston Hughes; Earl Graves, Sr., of Black 
Enterprise; and my former staffers Charles Bolden and Vaughn Roland. 
Their immediate past grand basileus is Dr. David Marion.
  Delta Sigma Theta sorority, whose colors are crimson and cream, was 
founded in 1913 at Howard University. Delta counts as sisters my 
esteemed colleagues Yvette Clarke, Joyce Beatty, Stacey Plaskett, Lucy 
McBath, Summer Lee, Jasmine Crockett, Valerie Foushee, and Jennifer 
McClellan; HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge; former Congresswoman Val 
Demings; my former chief of staff Mia Keeys; Congresswoman Shirley 
Chisolm, the first African-American woman elected to Congress; Nikki 
Giovanni, Susan Taylor; as well as my current intern, Traniah Neal; my 
fellows, Ebony Caldwell and Cecilia Vaughn-Guy. Their current honorable 
president is Elsie Cooke-Holmes.
  Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, whose colors are royal blue and white, was 
founded in 1914 at Howard University. Not only are the Sigmas the 
fraternity of my late husband, Dr. Nathaniel Horn, they also include my 
colleagues Adriano Espaillat and Maxwell Frost; the late Congressman 
and civil rights leaders John Lewis and Elijah Cummings; and civil 
rights pioneer and leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, 
A. Philip Randolph. Their honorable international president is Chris V. 
Rey.
  Zeta Phi Beta sorority, whose colors are royal blue and white, was 
founded in 1920 at Howard University, the sisters of Phi Beta Sigma. 
Notable sisters include my colleagues, Congresswomen Sydney Kamlager-
Dove and Rashida Tlaib; former Congresswoman Donna Edwards; the late 
Congresswoman Julia Carson; Anita Hill; author Zora Neale Hurston. 
Their honorable president is Stacie N.C. Grant.
  Sigma Gamma Rho, whose colors are blue and gold, my sorority, was 
founded in 1922 at Butler University. The sisters of Sigma Gamma Rho 
include my colleague, Congresswoman Barbara Lee; my former colleague 
Corrine Brown; the late Congresswoman Lindy Boggs; the first African-
American winner of an Academy Award, Hattie McDaniel; the first 
African-American woman journalist to cover the White House, Alice 
Allison Dunnigan; my current and former staff, Glennita Williams, 
Danielle Echols, and Mia Carter. Our esteemed grand basileus is 
Rasheeda S. Liberty.
  Last, but not least, is Iota Phi Theta, whose colors are brown and 
gold, and was founded in 1963 at Morgan State University. Their 
notables include former Congressman Bobby Rush; Terrence Carson, star 
of ``Living Single''; and former NBA player Calvin Murphy. Their 
honorable grand polaris is Dr. Sean D. Housen, Sr.

  The Divine Nine has helped to make our Nation a better place for all 
Americans.
  As we prepare for the road ahead, I know that the Divine Nine will 
continue to foster a new generation of great leaders and help guide our 
Nation on its journey to equality.
  Last, but not least, please, let's get money to Ukraine.

                          ____________________