Shrewd politics underscore Divine 9 Legislative Day’s framing, necessity
RALEIGH, N.C. — Plenty of playful barbs and boasts were lobbed among Black fraternities and sororities during the annual Divine 9 Legislative Day downtown at Bicentennial Plaza in late April.
Overriding every bit of that, though, was building and — their eyes on actionable threats to make this state less diverse, equitable and inclusive — preserving Black power and identity.
Safeguarding democracy was on the agenda, a presentation by Karen Brinson Bell — who at the time was executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections (SBOE) — providing updates related to the ballot box, particularly access to it. She touched on the race between incumbent North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs and challenger Jefferson Griffin, a judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals who has since conceded in what was the country’s last undecided contest of the Nov. 2024 election. Griffin claimed some 60,000 individuals voted illegitimately. He wanted their ballots tossed.
“This case is pivotal, not just to North Carolina but to our nation, because it brings into question the eligibility of voters and their eligibility after the election has taken place. Please, get out, be mindful of this case, be mindful of the actions that are happening and the requirements that may be imposed upon voters in question,” Brinson Bell told the Divine 9 crowd. “We supervise the laws and their execution to be accurate and secure and safe so that everyone may exercise their right to vote — that is not partisan and that is not political.”
Karen Brinson Bell, former executive director North Carolina State Board of Elections (SBOE).
Wins and losses
A week after saying that, Brinson Bell was booted, replaced by lawyer Sam Hayes on the strength of Republican-sponsored Senate Bill 382 that was dangled as $227 million for Hurricane Helene relief but had tucked in it provisions stripping the governor’s authority to appoint SBOE members and giving it to the state auditor, who is a Republican.
In other words, the Republican Party controls elections in North Carolina, not the governor elected by voters.
Divine 9 Legislative Day is about Black Greek-letter organizations and the greater community using the legislative process to address issues impacting Black and Brown people across North Carolina.
After participating in a panel discussion at Divine 9 Legislative Day, Rep. Zack Hawkins, a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., walked across the street for a vote in the General Assembly on House Bill 171, which would eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives from state and local government. He voted against it, but the bill passed 69-45 and moved to the Senate for further consideration.
Rep. Zack Hawkins (District 31) speaks during the Legislative Update panel alongside (L–R): Sen. Kandie Smith (District 5); Dr. Anthony Davis, president of Livingstone College; and Chris Rey, J.D., president of Barber-Scotia College.
‘Rough times are ahead’
That gets at the why of Divine 9 Legislative Day, where Gov. Josh Stein prioritized safer public schools and pay raises for the educators who teach in them, as well as affordable health care and homeownership for Black people. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson said his office will maintain the state’s Civil Rights Unit Stein created when he was in the role.
State Sen. Natalie Murdock, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., used her keynote address to challenge Black Greeks to consider what the founders of their fraternities and sororities would find themselves doing in this moment.
“Divine 9 family, we are in rough times, and rough times are ahead,” Murdock said. “So-called anti-DEI policies attack our very existence. But I have a question for all of you: Is it the diversity, the equity or the inclusion that they are attacking? I’m sad to say that they’re attacking all of it.”
North Carolina Governor Josh Stein addresses the crowd during Divine 9 Legislative Day.