Zeta Phi Beta sorority: Trump's comments on boulé 'disrespectful' to Black Greek organizations

One of the nation's leading black women's clubs has denounced former President Trump's criticism of Vice President Harris' attendance at the Divine Nine convention during Tuesday's presidential debate.

Harris spoke at several Divine Nine sorority gatherings earlier this year, including one in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress in July.

Trump accused her at the time of attending a “very unimportant” party, and repeated the criticism during the ABC debate in Philadelphia.

But Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., a Divine Nine chapter founded in 1920 at Howard University, Harris' alma mater, said the comments “undermine” Boulet's importance.

“Former President Donald Trump's attempt to discredit the importance of our national convention is not only unfortunate, but also disrespectful to us and the other historically Black Greek-letter organizations that make up the Sacred Nine,” the sorority said in a statement Wednesday.

Divine Nine Boules often include keynote speakers, workshops and networking events, and are sometimes described as a way to strengthen the bonds of sisterhood between sororities.

Harris is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, another sorority within the Divine Nine.

Many black Greek letter organizations were founded during a time of Jim Crow laws and widespread racist violence. These organizations offered black students an opportunity to participate in Greek letter life at predominantly white schools where they were prohibited from doing so.

“Our organization as a whole has been at the forefront of historic social activism and change, helping Black Americans, women and other disenfranchised communities gain the same civil rights that were once legally denied to our communities,” Zeta Phi Beta said.

The sorority added that it will continue to support efforts to maintain and expand social, health and economic justice in the communities it serves.

“We will not allow the hard work and accomplishments of our members to be framed as a 'sorority party,'” the group said. “Currently, our organization is joining forces with all Divine Nine organizations in an unprecedented voter mobilization effort, and these continued attacks on the character of our organization will only intensify our momentum to educate and mobilize voters.”