These 'mobilized' Detroit women share a sacred sisterhood and 'Link' to Kamala Harris

At Tauntus Beauty Bar, the only store in Detroit that is licensed to sell “Divine Nine” clothing and other items associated with the historically Black Greek-letter organizations that are members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, there are more 6,000 pieces of merchandise ranging in price from $5 to $500 for shoppers to choose from online or at the store’s physical location at 18979 Livernois.

However, for a period of time during a phone conversation on Monday afternoon, Tauntus co-owner Dennae Hawkins was locked in on one number — 1908.

“Our sorority was founded in 1908,” explained Hawkins, who pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha as an undergraduate student at Florida A&M University during the spring of 1989. “And during the 2020 presidential race, many members of our sorority began making contributions of $19.08 to support our (sorority) sister, Kamala Harris, on the Biden-Harris ticket, while honoring the founding of our sorority; you can read about it.”

Hawkins had campaign contributions on her mind because the native Detroiter said she was envisioning the number of contributions that rolled in from members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and women affiliated with other Black organizations during a Zoom call Sunday evening. The call was organized by Win With Black Women in support of the presidential campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, who pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha as an undergraduate student at Howard University in 1986. According to the organizing group of the Zoom call, more than $1.5 million was raised from the more than 44,000 participating women.

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“As much as we talk smack about each other across our different Black organizations, we always respect each other. And right now, Kamala Harris belongs to all of us,” said an exurborant Hawkins, who operates Tauntus with co-owner Nadonya Muslim, a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, another of the Divine Nine Black Greek organizations. “I’m sure that many of the women that made contributions did so in ways that honored the founding of their organizations, like the Deltas, who were founded in 1913.

"And with every contribution of any amount that came in from Black women as a result of that call, Black organizations and HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) were letting their presence be known.”

And the swiftness of how the presence of Black women was felt — through the impact of a Zoom call that commenced less than seven hours after President Joe Biden’s historic withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race and his simultaneous endorsement of Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate on Sunday — seemed to have left Hawkins still awestruck on Monday afternoon.

“The organizers of that call were able to mobilize more than 44,000 Black women in less than six hours!” Hawkins emphatically said. “And that call was by invitation only. I received invitations from three of my (sorority) line sisters, but think of the women that didn’t check their email on Sunday. ... And they still had that kind of participation!

“It makes me proud to be a Black woman; proud to be a member of my sorority; and proud of all of the Black organizations that are coming together. There were women representing Divine Nine sororities, The Links, Jack & Jill, Top Ladies of Distinction and so many other service organizations. We have proven that an often overlooked group has tremendous influence in this country. And that we can mobilize in minutes.”

When the Zoom call began at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Hawkins was not on the call. But, she had an excellent excuse: She still was working through the night to ensure that her business will be able to fulfill the expected demands of enthusiastic customers that will be seeking merchandise connected to the election and the Harris campaign.

“We want our sister to be selected to lead the ticket, and we want her to win. But as a business, we also have to stay on top of what is going on with the election and make sure we have everything that our customers are going to want,” explained Hawkins, who connects with her customers not only as a member of a Divine Nine sorority and graduate of an HBCU, but also as someone who grew up and currently lives in the neighborhood surrounding her business. “I was up designing shirts and Nadonya has been in contact with our T-shirt maker. We will have shirts relating to the election in the colors of all of the sororities and fraternities we serve. We’re also going to have items with ‘My Black Job Is...’ (a sarcastic retort to former President Donald Trump's assertion during the June debate with President Joe Biden that undocumented immigrants are taking "Black jobs.")

"There are still many decisions to make once we determine what people want, so we’re literally going along moment by moment as things occur during this campaign.”

Hawkins says her business also is prepared to be engaged during the campaign season in ways that go beyond store merchandise.

“First and foremost, supporting the presidential campaign of Kamala Harris is a noble cause and we want to participate as much as we can,” said Hawkins, who said she spent part of Monday getting caught up on “assignment” items identified during the Zoom call and other information related to the Harris campaign, which included reading an email from her sorority about an upcoming massive, national voter mobilization campaign that will involve all of the Divine Nine sororities and fraternities. “Our store is too small to hold a rally. But in terms of being a pickup spot for banners and campaign materials, or being a location where voter registration can take place in front of our business — outside — we’re open to all of that.”

Alison Vaughn is the founder of the Detroit nonprofit Jackets For Jobs and a member of The Links Incorporated, an international nonprofit service organization whose membership of more than 17,000 professional women also includes Vice President Harris. Vaughn says she, too, looks forward to participating in an action-packed campaign season. Vaughn was able to get into Sunday’s Zoom call a little after 8:20 p.m. with help from her Links sister, Kim Trent, who is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

“The message during Sunday night’s call is that this train is moving and it’s not going to stop until we succeed in what we set out to accomplish,” said Vaughn, who, earlier in the day on Sunday, attended an Oakland County Democratic Party Membership Picnic at Drake Park. “When I finally got into the call, my reaction was: ‘Oh my God, this is wonderful!’ To hear all the speakers and to see all of the organizations that have been mobilized, it just shows how the participation of Black women makes a huge difference in our elections.”

Vaughn spoke on Monday afternoon, five days before the exhibit ”Our History, Our Story: The Detroit Chapter of The Links” was scheduled to open to the public on July 27 at the Detroit Historical Museum. Vaughn says the exhibit will highlight local, regional and national accomplishments of The Links Incorporated, founded in 1946. The exhibit, which will be displayed on the museum's second floor, within the Robert and Mary Ann Bury Community Gallery, also will include a photo of Vice President Harris with information about her Links membership. And while the information about Harris will take up a relatively small part of the display, Vaughn made it clear that the likelihood of Harris heading the Democratic presidential ticket certainly adds to the significance of the exhibit in her eyes.

“Michele Peterson, our chapter’s operations manager and past archives chair, has been excited for a long time to have the community learn more about our organization. And now we have one of our own Links sisters going for the highest position in the land,” Vaughn said. “And many of our Links members are a part of the Divine Nine, including our Detroit chapter president, Kimberly Keaton, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha as well. So, we feel a sense of double duty to support Vice President Harris. I couldn’t think of a better time to show our community who we are than at this moment, when we have a Links member running for president.”

Scott Talley is a native Detroiter, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and a lifelong lover of Detroit culture in its diverse forms. In his second tour with the Free Press, which he grew up reading as a child, he is excited and humbled to cover the city’s neighborhoods and the many interesting people who define its various communities. Contact him at stalley@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @STalleyfreep. Read more of Scott's stories at www.freep.com/mosaic/detroit-is/. Please help us grow great community-focused journalism by becoming a subscriber.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: These women display sisterhood and a 'Link' to Kamala Harris by action