ABC debate moderator Linsey Davis and Kamala Harris are in the same sorority, but joined at different schools

Earlier this week, Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump met for their first presidential debate. ABC News anchor Linsey Davis moderated the debate alongside David Muir. 

Multiple viral posts claim Davis is in the same sorority as Harris, suggesting Davis was a biased moderator. Several VERIFY readers, including Dean and Tom, reached out to ask if it's true that the two are sorority sisters.

THE QUESTION

Are Kamala Harris and Linsey Davis in the same sorority? 

THE SOURCES

• Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. 
• A University of Virginia article
• Kamala Harris’ speech at Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.’s 71st Boulé

THE ANSWER

Yes, Kamala Harris and Linsey Davis are in the same sorority. But they were initiated into different chapters in different years.

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WHAT WE FOUND

ABC presidential debate moderator Linsey Davis and Vice President Kamala Harris are both members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. But they were inducted into different chapters in different years. The two did not attend the same university.

Harris was inducted into the sorority’s Alpha chapter at Howard University in Washington, D.C., in 1986. She recently was the keynote speaker at the sorority’s biennial conference in July, and the sorority’s official website currently features a congratulations message to the presidential candidate on her campaign.

A recent University of Virginia article published ahead of the debate confirmed Davis joined the sorority’s Theta Kappa chapter at the school before graduating in 1999.

The sorority, which was founded at Howard University in 1908, says it currently has over 1,074 chapters and 360,000 initiated members. Members of Alpha Kappa Alpha are members for life, usually staying active by joining graduate chapters after graduating from college to continue supporting their communities and the sorority's mission.