1920 WAS A PIVOTAL YEAR IN AMERICA. PROHIBITION STARTED, THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE WAS BORN. IT WAS THE FIRST MOVEMENT OF BLACK ARTISTS AND THE HARLEM RETICENCE. WOMEN OBTAIN THE RIGHT TO VOTE, SOME WOMAN AND NOT ALL. IT WAS ALSO THE AIR THAT FIVE WOMEN KNOWN AS THE FIVE PEARLS CREATED ZETA FIVE BETA SORORITY
INCORPORATED. ON THE CAMPUS OF HOWARD UNIVERSITY TO ENCOURAGE THE HIGHEST STANDARD OF SCHOLARSHIP AND SERVICE AND PASO SISTERHOOD AND EXEMPLIFY THE IDEAL OF FINER WOMANHOOD. AS WE MARK 31 DAYS TO THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS, WE ARE CONTINUING OUR SERIES OF CONVERSATIONS WITH THE PRESIDENTS OF THE DIVIDE AT
NINE, ALL TO TELL US ABOUT THE EFFORTS TO GET OUT TO VOTE. MORE THAN 125,000 MEMBERS HAVE BEEN INITIATED INTO ZETA PHI BETA SORORITY INCORPORATED. THEY’RE CURRENTLY MORE THAN 875 ACTIVE CHAPTERS IN THE UNITED STATES. SO HERE WITH US TODAY IS THE 26 INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT OF ZETA PHI BETA SORORITY INCORPORATED, STACEY GRANT.
WELCOME TO YOU PRESIDENT GRANT. YOU KNOW I SAW YOU AT THE BLACK WOMEN’S AGENDA TOWN HALL. AND I WAS LIKE YOU HAVE TO COME TO A SERIES. YOU ARE HERE, THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR COMING. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. >> OF, COURSE MY ANCHOR SAID IT
WOULD NOT BE ANY OTHER WAY. SHE SAID WHEN WE HAVE MY PRESIDENT ON? I WANT TO START WITH AN ISSUE THAT IS PRESSING ON THE MINDS OF MANY PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THAT IS WOMAN’S BODILY AUTONOMY, THE ISSUE OF ABORTION. WHEN THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT OVERTURNED ROE V. WADE
WITH THE DECISION, YOU ARE SORORITY PUBLICLY ANNOUNCED THAT AND ALWAYS THIS QUOTE, MORE THAN PUBLICLY ANNOUNCE THIS IS MORE THAN PRO-LIFERS HIS PRO CHOICE. OUR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH IS AT STAKE. INSTAGRAM POST FROM THE ACCOUNT. WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT FROM THE NATIONAL LEVEL? THAT ZETA PHI BETA MADE THE STATEMENT?
>> WE ARE AT A POINT IN OUR HISTORY WHERE WE HAVE TO BE VOCAL ABOUT WHAT EFFECTS US. THE WOMAN’S RIGHT TO CHOOSE. THROUGH OUR BODIES, WE NEVER THOUGHT WE WERE SITTING IN THE SITUATION RIGHT NOW DISCUSSING ROE V. WADE. DISCUSSING VOTER RIGHTS, DISCUSSING IMMIGRATION. DISCUSSING ALL OF THE THINGS
THAT OUR FOUR MOTHERS AND FOUR FATHERS DIED SO THAT WE CAN HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE AND IF ACTUALLY CHANGE. FIRST, TO PUBLICLY COME OUT AND NOT BE SHY ABOUT WHAT IT IS THE STANCE FOR WHAT IS RIGHT. WE HAVE BEEN DOING THAT SINCE 1920, ATTACKING THE SOCIAL AS OF THE DAY.
NOTHING DIFFERENT NOW THAT OVER 130,000 PLUS. 900 PLUS CHAPTERS IN GROWING HAVE BEEN ENGAGE. THEY GET ENGAGED AND WE STAY AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE ISSUES THAT AFFECT US. AND WE DO THAT, NOT ONLY THROUGH VOTER REGISTRATION BUT ALSO UNDERSTANDING THAT WHEN WE EDUCATE OUR CONSTITUENTS ABOUT THIS, THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND
WHO IS ON THE BALLOT. >> TALK TO ME ABOUT VOTER EDUCATION PIECE BECAUSE I THINK IT’S SAFE TO SAY THAT YOU KNOW, MEMBERS OF THE DIVINE NINE, ZETA FIVE BETA INCORPORATED AS WELL ARE OUT THERE. REGISTERING PEOPLE TO VOTE BUT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT, AT THE TOP OF THE CHARLIE VOTING HAS
ALREADY STARTED IN SOME PLACES. BY THE END OF THIS, MONTH MORE, AT LEAST 30 OTHER STATES WILL ALSO HAVE STARTED EARLY VOTING. WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON THE VOTER EDUCATION? >> WITHOUT EDUCATION, PEACE WHAT WE ARE DOING AS A LINE CHAPTERS AND ENCOURAGING CHAPTERS TO HAVE A TOWN HALLS.
TO HAVE DEBATES, WE NEED TO KNOW WHO IS ON THE BALLOT. WHAT DO THEY STAND FOR? WHAT IS NECESSARY IN CHANGE IN AMERICA. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT EDUCATION, IT GOES BEYOND JUST THE SIMPLE GO OUT AND REGISTER. BUT NO WE ARE VOTING FOR. KNOW THAT WE HAVE OUR OWN
CANDIDATE FROM ZETA FIVE BETA INCORPORATED. RUNNING FOR CONGRESS. IN CALIFORNIA. YES, SO THAT IS AN AWESOME OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT HER. BUT THEN ALSO, ADVOCATING SO HOW DO WE ADVOCATE AND HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT THE ISSUES ON THE BALLOT THAT AFFECT US ON MEMBERS NOT ONLY ARE
KNOWLEDGEABLE BUT THE COMMUNITIES ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE. AND THEN ACTUALLY CHANGE BY GOING OUT TO VOTE, TAKING PEOPLE TO THE POLLS. BECOMING A POLL WATCHER, POLL WORKER. SO THAT YOU CAN REALLY SEE OUR WHOLE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT WORK. AND THAT WE DON’T SIT BACK AND SAY, OH DOES NOT MATTER.
I WILL NOT VOTE AND WE STAY AT THE FOREFRONT OF BRINGING PEOPLE TO THE POLLS. >> WE ARE PUSHING PEOPLE TO GET IT ENGAGED, I’M VERY INTERESTED IN THIS POINT ABOUT POLL WORKERS. A DANGEROUS TIME UNFORTUNATELY IN AMERICA TO BE A POLL WORKER. ZETA PHI BETA IS ENCOURAGING THEIR MEMBERS TO SIGN UP.
>> SIGN UP, BE CAREFUL. WE WANT EVERYBODY TO BE SAFE. THAT IS HOW WE CAN PROTECT THE PROCESS. BEING ENGAGED, YOU CAN GET PAID. PEOPLE DON’T EVEN KNOW, THAT IS THE PAID OPPORTUNITY. >> SOME PLACES NOW. SOME PLACES THEY ARE NOT, SOMEPLACE IT IS GETTING DANGEROUS. OUR FOUR MOTHERS AND FOREFATHERS DIED.
THEY MARCHED, THEY ADVOCATED FOR US TO HAVE THIS FIGHT. WE CANNOT SIT BACK IN JUST CATCHER LET THIS MIDTERM ELECTION HAPPEN. TOO MUCH IS ON THE BALLOT. SO AS WE EDUCATE OUR MEMBERS, AS WE ADVOCATE FOR THE ISSUES THAT AFFECT US AND WE EFFECTUATE THE RIGHT CHANGE.
WE COULD BE PROUD OF THE WORK THAT WE DO, THE DAY AFTER THE ELECTION. KNOWING THAT WE WERE OUT ON THE FOREFRONT, EACH AND EVERY SINGLE DAY FROM FREE, FROM VOTING EARLY, VOTER EDUCATION, REGISTRATION UNTIL THE DAY OF. THAT WE KNOW WE PARTICIPATE IN DOING THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN OFFICE.
NO LONGER CAN WE JUST REST ON THINKING SOMEBODY ELSE IS GOING TO MAKE THE VOTE FOR US. SOMEBODY ELSE TO DO, IT IS A TEST GET A GAUGE TO MAKE SURE THAT FROM THE GROUND UP, WE ARE DOING THE WORK. NOT JUST SHOWING UP FOR A PHOTO
OP, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE REGISTERED. >> IN THE TRENCHES, ON THE GROUND MAKING SURE THAT THIS COUNTRY GOES BACK TO WHAT WE KNOW IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEAD IN THE WORLD. WE ARE THE LEADING UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LOOK AT WHAT WE ARE DISCUSSING ON THE DOLLAR.
LOOK AT YOUR WHOLE SHOW. >> IT IS DISTURBING TO SAY THE LEAST. PRESIDENT GRANT, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR COMING IN TODAY. MAKING A TRIP UP FROM NEW YORK. INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT OF ZETA FIVE BETA SORORITY INCORPORATED. STACY GRANT, I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. SO GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND ALL OF THE STATUS THAT ARE WATCHING AND ALL OF OUR PANEL, FAMILY THAT IS INVOLVED IN THIS VOTER REGISTRATION. WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER. WHEN YOU COULD BUY OUR ORGANIZATION WITH ALL OF THE PANELS, ORGANIZATIONS THAT IS OVER 2.4 BILLION. POWER AND NUMBERS, WE ARE
STRONGER TOGETHER,
source