Kamala Harris’ historic rise from Howard University student to VP and presidential nominee is a story of breaking barriers and lifelong sisterhood.
WASHINGTON — When Kamala Harris stepped onto the stage to accept the Democratic nomination for president, she made history in many ways — some of which have deep connections to Washington, D.C.
If elected, Harris would become the first woman to graduate from a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) and the first member of a Black sorority to hold the nation’s highest office.
WUSA9 spoke with Jill Louis, a former Howard University trustee and Harris’ Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority sister, to get a glimpse of the would-be vice president during her college years.
“You know, when they talk about her laugh, that’s the thing. You see the through line from knowing her in college to now — it’s just authentically her,” Louis said.
Before she was Vice President Kamala Harris—and now the Democratic presidential nominee — Harris was a student at Howard University, majoring in economics and political science. Louis met Harris at Howard in 1986, where both joined Alpha Kappa Alpha, the nation’s oldest Black sorority, founded at Howard in 1908. The two often worked together on community service projects, Louis remembers Harris always stayed calm even despite short deadlines and school work.
“We had to, in a very short window, create a project and a program to visit a retirement home,” Louis said.
At the time, neither Louis nor Harris had decided to pursue law careers, but they knew they wanted to push for change — motivated by the barriers their parents had overcome.
“Our parents literally didn’t have the legal right to attend certain universities or even get certain jobs,” Louis said.
HBCUs were founded because of segregation. Today, HBCUs offer students of all backgrounds traditions and values they might not find anywhere else.
“Part of the education you get is from the university, which is amazing, and part of it is from the people you meet,” Louis added.
Like many Howard graduates, Harris has been breaking barriers throughout her career. She became the first woman of Black and Asian descent to serve as District Attorney of San Francisco, California Attorney General, and U.S. Senator. Through it all, her sorority sisters have remained by her side.
“And we’re here to remind her of that grit, and that resilience — and that bond is still there,” Louis said.
