DALLAS — Vice President Kamala Harris is coming to Dallas to deliver the keynote speech at the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Boule Wednesday. Here’s how her visit might impact traffic downtown.
The sorority’s 71st biennial Boule will be hosted at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center downtown. A U.S. Secret Service spokesperson said they don’t release specific motorcade routes in advance, but drivers can expect impacts like road closures and parking restrictions.
“The U.S. Secret Service works closely with our local law enforcement partners to minimize disruptions to the public while ensuring the highest level of safety and security,” said Melissa McKenzie of the U.S. Secret Service. “For security reasons, we are unable to release specific motorcade routes in advance, but the public can expect intermittent road closures and parking restrictions as part of the visit.”
Harris, who’s been a member of the sorority since she joined as a student at Howard University in 1986, previously spoke at their 70th Boule in 2022 in Orlando, Florida, among other events over the years.
Harris’ stop in Dallas is part of the Vice President's "Summer of Engagement" tour across the country. On July 6, the vice president spoke at the 30th ESSENCE Festival of Culture in New Orleans. After Dallas, she'll head to Indianapolis to have a moderated conversation at Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.'s Grand Boule.
AKA was founded in 1908 at Howard University, an HBCU in Washington D.C. and Harris' alma mater. It is America's oldest Greek-letter organization founded by Black women.
Today, its sisterhood is more than 360,000 members strong, and it boasts chapters in 12 countries.
This isn't the first time AKA's biennial national convention has come to Dallas. The sorority previously hosted its Boule in Dallas in 1968 and again in 2000.