[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3239-3240]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
                            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, as we observe the final week of 
Black History Month, I would like to recognize the Divine Nine 
historically Black fraternities and sororities of the National Pan-
Hellenic Council.
  For over 100 years, brothers and sisters of the Divine Nine have 
played an instrumental role in altering the course of American history, 
and the Divine Nine have served as training grounds for some of our 
Nation's best and brightest leaders.
  The Divine Nine Organizations are:
  Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, founded in 1986 at Cornell University. 
Their brotherhood includes the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; 
Congressmen Emanuel Cleaver, Danny Davis, Chaka Fattah, Al Green, 
Gregory Meeks, Charles Rangel, David Scott, and Bobby Scott; Ambassador 
Andrew Jackson Young; the National Urban League president, Marc Morial; 
legal pioneers Charles Hamilton Houston and Thurgood Marshall; and 
their honorable grand president, Mark S. Tillman.
  Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, founded in 1908 at Howard University. 
Their sisterhood proudly boasts Congresswomen Sheila Jackson Lee, Eddie 
Bernice Johnson, Terri Sewell, and Frederica Wilson; actress Phylicia 
Rashad of ``The Cosby Show''; author Maya Angelou; civil rights leaders 
Rosa

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Parks and Coretta Scott King; and their honorable president attorney, 
Carolyn House Stuart.
  Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, founded in 1911 at Indiana University. 
Among their notable achievers are Microsoft chairman and CEO, John W. 
Thompson; civil rights leader the Reverend Ralph Abernathy; founding 
member of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Reverend Delegate Walter 
Fauntroy; Congressmen Sanford Bishop, William Lacy Clay, John Conyers, 
Alcee Hastings, Bennie Thompson, and Hakeem Jeffries; and Grand 
Polemarch William ``Randy'' Bates.
  Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, founded in 1911 at Howard University. They 
include in their ranks Assistant House Democratic Leader James Clyburn 
of South Carolina; Congressman Hank Johnson of Georgia; NASA 
Administrator Charles Bolden; comedian Bill Cosby; Dr. Charles Drew, 
whose medical research in the field of blood transfusions led to the 
founding of the blood bank; and their honorable grand basileus, Dr. 
Andrew Ray.
  Delta Sigma Theta, founded in 1913 at Howard University. Delta counts 
as sisters my esteemed colleague and chairwoman of the Congressional 
Black Caucus, the Honorable Marcia L. Fudge; also Congresswomen Yvette 
Clarke and Joyce Beatty; Shirley Chisolm, the first African American 
woman elected to Congress; former Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman; and 
their honorable president, Paulette C. Walker.
  Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, founded in 1914 at Howard University. Not 
only are the Sigmas the fraternity of my husband, Dr. Nathaniel Horn, 
they also include former President of the United States William 
Jefferson Clinton; Congressman John Lewis; A. Phillip Randolph, civil 
rights pioneer and leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters; 
Dr. George Washington Carver; and their Honorable President, Jonathan 
Mason.
  Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, founded in 1920 at Howard University. Notable 
sisters include author Zora Neale Hurston; jazz great Sarah Vaughan; 
the late Congresswoman Julia Carson; and their honorable president, 
Mary Breaux Wright.
  Sigma Gamma Rho, my sorority, founded in 1922 at Butler University. 
The sisters of Sigma Gamma Rho include Congresswoman Corrine Brown of 
Florida and the late Congresswoman Lindy Boggs; the first African 
American winner of an Academy Award, Hattie McDaniel; and our esteemed 
grand basileus, Bonita Herring.
  Finally, Iota Phi Theta, founded in 1963 at Morgan State University. 
Their notables include Congressman Bobby Rush; Billy Ocasio, former 
alderman to Chicago's 26th Ward and current adviser to Governor Pat 
Quinn; and their honorable grand polaris, Robert Clark.
  Whether it has been standing up for women's suffrage, advancing civil 
rights by dismantling Jim Crow, advancing the science of medicine, or 
leading in business innovation, the Divine Nine has been there the 
entire time leading from the front.
  The Divine Nine's scope of service is felt far beyond their 
organizational borders. The work of these fraternities and sororities 
has helped to make this Nation a better place for all Americans. For 
this, and many other reasons, I thank the entire Divine Nine for a job 
well done.

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