# Alpha Kappa Alpha

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Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (ΑΚΑ) is the first intercollegiate historically African-American sorority. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of Howard University students led by Ethel Hedgemon Lyle. Forming a sorority broke barriers for African-American women in areas where they had little power or authority due to a lack of opportunities for Black Americans in the early 20th century. Alpha Kappa Alpha was incorporated on January 29, 1913.
The sorority is one of the nation's largest Greek-letter organizations, having had more than 360,000 members in 1,074 chapters in the United States and several other countries. Women may join through undergraduate chapters at a college or university, or they may be invited to join by a graduate chapter after acquiring an undergraduate or advanced college degree.
Alpha Kappa Alpha is part of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC). The current International President is Danette Anthony Reed, and the sorority's document and pictorial archives are located at Moorland-Spingarn Research Center.

## History
### Beginnings: 1907–1912

In the spring of 1907, Ethel Hedgemon Lyle led efforts to create a sisterhood at Howard University. Howard faculty member Ethel T. Robinson encouraged Hedgemon by relating her observances of sorority life at the Women's College at Brown University. Hedgemon began recruiting interested classmates in the spring of 1907 to implement her idea. She and the rest of the group used the summer of 1907 to research and explore options for their new organization .
The women returned to Howard in the fall of 1907 to work on the creation of the sorority. Hedgemon and Marie Woolfolk Taylor gave a presentation to the administration to secure approval, which was granted immediately. This approval made the sorority the first member of the Divine Nine to be created at a historically black college or university. Many have given the credit of this accolade to the Beta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, but Howard's administration approved the first chapter of AKA in November of 1907. The Beta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity was created on December 20, 1907, but it was not permitted to exist at Howard until the spring of 1908.
Informal sessions continued, with regular bi-weekly meetings beginning after the holiday. Wednesday, January 15, 1908, nine female students held the first official bi-weekly meetings in Miner Hall. On February 21, 1908, the seven sophomores invited to continue the legacy of the sorority were admitted without initiation and endowed with found status. In its first few months of life, Alpha Kappa Alpha established its pattern of leadership in the activities of the campus, creating its tradition of ritualic services, social affairs for its members, cultural and civic presentations for the general public, and service to the university. The students began its widely known community service efforts on May 1, 1908, with the planting of ivy and a tree on the campus of Howard University. This practice was later adopted by the university and continued for decades.
The first initiation was held in a wing of Miner Hall at Howard University on February 11, 1909. On May 25, 1909, Alpha Kappa Alpha held its first Ivy Day, a celebration that included planting ivy at Miner Hall. The sorority created many service efforts that continue today. Some service examples demonstrated before 1912 include helping create the NAACP, The YWCA DC chapter, feeding the hungry, tutoring, and clothing people experiencing poverty.

### Incorporation: 1912–1913

Alpha Kappa Alpha continued to grow at Howard. By the end of the 1911–12 school year, more than 40 sorority members were at Howard. In October, former President Nellie Quander was invited to attend a sorority meeting. In this meeting, the group proposed changing the sorority's name, colors, and symbols. While the entire organization was invited to participate in the changes, Quander opposed the changes. Quander advised the group that they had no right, legally or ethically, to make such changes and advised them to hold a poll of the entirety of the sorority. That poll found that the vast majority did not favor the change. As a result, some of the undergraduate women who wanted to change the organization's name, symbols, and colors held a meeting the next month with other collegiate women desiring to become members of an African-American sorority and voted to continue with the changes. In this way, the women voted to reorganize, and allowed others to join, and this group later became the 22 founders of Delta Sigma Theta. Quander set up a committee that worked to incorporate ΑΚΑ as a perpetual entity. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority became the first African-American sorority to incorporate nationally on January 29, 1913.

### Expansion and implementation of programs: 1913–1940

Alpha Kappa Alpha continued to grow internationally due to an effort that began in 1910 by the Alpha chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha. A second chapter at the University of Chicago was chartered in fall 1913. The sorority was the first of Black Greek letter organizations at Howard University to offer a scholarship program. In addition, Alpha Kappa Alpha helped to support members by providing scholarship funds for school and foreign studies & by raising money for Howard University's Miner Hall.
Alpha Kappa Alpha began to unite members at the annual Boulé, the sorority's governing body. The sorority's pledge was written by Grace Edwards and was adopted by the 1920 Boulé. In addition, the sorority's crest was designed by Phyllis Wheatley Waters and accepted in the same Boulé. A year later, at the 1921 Boulé, the Ivy Leaf was designated as "the official organ of Alpha Kappa Alpha", and Founders' Week, paying honor to ΆKΆ's founders was established. Pearls were first introduced to the sorority in the same year. The sorority membership pin was accepted in the following Boulé in Kansas City, Missouri. At the 1947 Boulé, pins for honorary members were designed and approved.
By 1920, the sorority created a national service plan catered to the surrounding communities of each chapter. By May 1924, Alpha Kappa Alpha opened its vocational guidance program to all.
On May 10, 1930, Alpha Kappa Alpha, along with the fraternities Kappa Alpha Psi and Omega Psi Phi and sororities Delta Sigma Theta and Zeta Phi Beta, formed the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) at Howard University. Currently consisting of nine predominately black fraternities and sororities, NPHC promotes interaction through forums, meetings, and other mediums for the exchange of information, and engages in cooperative programming and initiatives through various activities and functions. This effort was first begun by the sorority in 1921 when they sent telegrams to the other seven existing organizations to combine into a panhellenic.
Throughout the Great Migration, members assisted the Travelers Aid Society to help thousands of Southern Blacks adjust to Northern society, find housing and navigate around the city. They also volunteered at the Freedman's Hospital.
In April 1933, during the Great Depression, International President Ida Jackson visited All Saints Industrial School in Lexington, Mississippi. She found difficult conditions in the Mississippi Delta. Some of the teachers did not have an education past the seventh grade. African Americans were trying to make a living sharecropping on plantation land as agricultural prices continued to fall. In the summer of 1934, Ida Jackson initiated the Summer School for Rural Teachers to train future teachers. She worked with a total of 22 student teachers and 243 school children. In addition, she held night classes for 48 adults. By obtaining 2600 books for the school's library, Jackson made it "the largest library owned by white or colored in all Holmes County."
In the summer of 1938, Ida Jackson focused on poverty and established a regional health clinic. She had acquired $1,000 from the Boulé to fund the project in December 1935. The clinic evolved into the Mississippi Health Project, with Dr. Dorothy Boulding Ferebee appointed as the director.
The Mississippi Health Project brought primary medical care to the rural Black population across the state for six summers. The program has been recognized as the first mobile health clinic in the United States, assisting approximately 15,000 people in the Mississippi Delta. The project was noted for helping to decrease cases diphtheria and smallpox in the region and to improve nutritional and dental practices throughout rural Mississippi.
Incorporator Norma Elizabeth Boyd led the sorority to create the National Non-Partisan Lobby on Civil and Democratic Rights (NPC) in 1938, later renamed the National Non-Partisan Council on Public Affairs. It was the first full-time congressional lobby for minority group civil rights. Throughout the organization's life, the Non-Partisan Council worked with the NAACP, National Urban League, The United Office and Professional Workers of America, The National Association of Graduate Nurses, the American Federation of Churches, the Colored Women's Club, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Auxiliary, and the New York Voter's League. The NPC was dissolved on July 15, 1948, by twelfth Supreme Basileus Edna Over Gray-Campbell.
In August 1945, Alpha Kappa Alpha established the American Council on Human Rights (ACHR) to replace the NPC. The council made recommendations to the government concerning civil rights legislation. The ACHR was proposed at the 1946 Boulé. In October 1946, Alpha Kappa Alpha was the first sorority to obtain observer status at the United Nations. On January 25, 1948, Delta Sigma Theta, Zeta Phi Beta, Sigma Gamma Rho sororities, and Alpha Phi Alpha and Phi Beta Sigma fraternities were charter members of the ACHR. Kappa Alpha Psi was later included in March 1949.
In 1939, Alpha Kappa Alpha was the first sorority to apply for life membership in the NAACP. On September 1, 1945, Alpha Kappa Alpha established The National Health Office in New York City. The National Health Office coordinated activities with local chapters and worked with the ACHC to promote health initiatives before Congress, increase the number of student nurses, and improve the state of health programs at historically black colleges and universities. The National Health Office was dissolved in 1951, as its goals were incorporated into the sorority's international program.

### Civil rights and educational training: 1950–1970

Throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, members helped to sponsor job training, reading enrichment, heritage and youth programs. By encouraging youth to improve math, science, and reading skills, the sorority continued a legacy of community service and pledged to enrich the lives of others. Financially, Alpha Kappa Alpha expanded funding for projects in 1953 through the creation and trademark of a fashion show called Fashionetta. Politically, ACHR continued lobbying for equality concerning civil rights during the 1950s and 1960s. According to Collier-Thomas, the ACHR drew attention to legislation concerning education, transportation, employment, and improving equality in the armed forces and public places. The ACHR participated in filing civil rights cases in amicus curiae with Bolling v. Sharpe and 1954's Brown v. Board of Education. However, as a whole, ACHR voted to dissolve operations in 1963.
Alpha Kappa Alpha contributed programs for inner-city youth by capitalizing on political gains in the White House. On August 20, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act, which allowed the creation of the Job Corps. The sorority wanted to operate a student job training center. Led by president Julia Purnell, ΆKΆ negotiated with the Office of Economic Opportunity to operate a women's center from October 1964 to January 1965. Alpha Kappa Alpha was awarded a $4 million grant (equivalent to $39.9 million in 2024) to operate the Cleveland Job Corps on February 12, 1965, becoming the first sorority to operate a federal job training center. Beginning in 1965, the Cleveland Job Corps trained female high school dropouts aged 16 to 21 with job and educational skills. In 1976, the Cleveland Job Corps accepted males. The sorority operated the Cleveland Job Corps until 1995.
The sorority educated the community by highlighting the accomplishments of notable individuals by publishing The Heritage Series between 1968 and 1972. These pamphlets were a series of biographies of top African-American women. Altogether, the entire collection contained "Women in the Judiciary", "Women in Politics", "Women in Medicine", "Women in Business", and "Women in Dentistry". Alpha Kappa Alpha also donated $20,000 for preserving Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthplace in Atlanta, Georgia, in the early 1970s. In 1978, during the sorority's seventieth anniversary, the Memorial Window at Howard University was dedicated to the founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha. Surviving founders Lavinia Norman and Norma Boyd attended the celebration of unveiling the Memorial Window, designed by Lois Mailou Jones.

### Bridging toward the twenty-first century: 1980–2007

Soon after the sorority's 75th anniversary, Alpha Kappa Alpha contributed funds to decrease Africa's poverty with the establishment of the African Village Development Program (AVDP). As a conjoint program with Africare, the sorority sought to decrease poverty in African villages. In collaboration with the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help (IFESH), the sorority built ten schools in South Africa after apartheid ended, and it donated computer technology to the region.
Since 1990, the sorority has continued to provide after-school mentoring programs, such as ON TRACK. ON TRACK, an acronym which stands for "Organizing, Nurturing, Team building, Respecting, Achieving, Counseling and Knowing", was designed to help the progress of 20,000 third graders who were at-risk of failing their education. Sponsored by Daimler Chrysler, ON TRACK was designated to "improve communication, academics, physical and emotional health, peer leadership, etiquette, and interpersonal relationships." In addition, programs such as the Ivy Reading AKAdemy and Young Authors Program improved elementary reading comprehension skills, while PIMS highlighted programs in math and science.
   The purpose of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is to cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards, to promote unity and friendship among college women, to study and help alleviate problems concerning girls and women to improve their social stature, to maintain a progressive interest in college life, and to be of service to all mankind.
The sorority responded to the call for help in the fall of 2005 after Hurricane Katrina by raising money for a disaster relief fund. In July 2007, through Habitat for Humanity, the sorority helped build a house in New Orleans for a family that survived Hurricane Katrina.
In addition to educational programs, Alpha Kappa Alpha contributed to drawing awareness to health-related issues, such as AIDS, sickle cell anemia, breast cancer, and the importance of staying in shape. Recently, the sorority has supported the efforts of justice for the Jena Six. Also, the sorority connects to the past by partnering with African Ancestry. Sorority members may use African Ancestry's DNA testing to find genealogical data for themselves and their families. The partnership aims to help members trace family connections through the world and in Africa to embrace African-American culture and the larger community.

### Centennial celebration: 2008

Alpha Kappa Alpha celebrated its centenary with a year-long commemoration in 2008. The celebration coincided with the sorority's biennial Boulé. Internationally, some Alpha Kappa Alpha members began marking the festivities by making a pilgrimage to Howard University from January 12 to January 15, 2008. The activities included sorority members financially donating $1 million in scholarship funds to Howard University, contributing libraries for Middle School for Mathematics and Science and Asbury Dwelling for Senior Citizens, and unveiling a digital version of the entire Ivy Leaf publication. In addition, sorority undergraduate and graduate members who were not available to attend ceremonies in Washington, D.C., held celebrations in local cities. From July 11 to July 18, 2008, Alpha Kappa Alpha held their 63rd Boulé. A town hall meeting with the public, a unity march in conjunction with other NPHC members, and a concert featuring R&B Grammy Award-winning singer and Honorary Member Patti LaBelle were among the events that took place at the centennial Boulé. On July 17, 2008, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority set a Guinness World Record when 16,206 members set a record by having the largest-ever silver service sit-down dinner in a convention.
Alpha Kappa Alpha's accomplishments were heralded by the United States Congress, with U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton and sorority member U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee, who both agreed to pass legislation in both houses of the United States Congress to commemorate the sorority's founding. In addition, the toy company Mattel designed a Barbie collectible doll fashioned with a pink and green evening gown.

## Symbols

The sorority's motto is "By Culture and By Merit". Its colors are salmon pink and apple green. Its symbol is the Ivy leaf and its flower is the Pink Tea Rose. Its publication is the Ivy Leaf magazine. Alpha Kappa Alpha members are called AKAs, Alpha Women, and Ivies.

## Membership

Alpha Kappa Alpha has a membership of more than 300,000 women internationally, with 90,000 active members of diverse backgrounds and professions. Graduate members constitute the largest percentage of membership. Alpha Kappa Alpha has more than 1000 chapters, located in the United States, the Caribbean, Canada, and South Africa.
The term soror, derived from the Latin for "sister", is used between members of the sorority. Membership of the Directorate includes the board of directors. For graduate chapters, "Omega" is added to distinguish those that consist of college graduates from undergraduate chapters. "Supreme", as a term, is proposed to the title of an international officeholder, such as Supreme Basileus. Deceased members are referred to as "Ivies Beyond the Wall".
Honorary membership is Alpha Kappa Alpha's highest honor. Jane Addams, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is among the first honorary members. Eleanor Roosevelt was made an honorary member. Hillary Clinton accepted honorary membership into Alpha Kappa Alpha. However, Clinton later declined initiation into the organization due to the sorority's exclusive requirement preventing acceptance into other Pan-Hellenic organizations, as she desired her membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha to be "non-exclusive."

### Membership interest and intake

The Ivy Leaf Pledge Club was the official pledge club of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Potential candidates interested in joining the sorority would join the pledge club before being inducted into the sorority.
In Our Kind of People: Inside America's Upper Class, Lawrence Otis Graham tells of his aunt's experience in joining the Ivy Leaf Pledge Club:
   We had to learn a lot more about the historic beginnings of the AKAs, and we did it by writing long letters of application to the Ivy Leaf Pledge Club—the senior wing of the sorority that regulated the admissions process—and then attending monthly meetings where the older students tutored us on the history.
In addition, according to Graham, the sorority would have "Pledge Week", a period where chapter members reviewed a candidate's grades and behavior. Candidates who withstood this period were initiated into the sorority. Membership interest is processed by an interest meeting called a "rush". After the candidate receives an official letter from the sorority, she can participate in the membership intake process. Prospective members must have a C+ by their university's standards or, if there is no + or - in the grading scale, a 2.5 average or better before their membership submission and a record of community service. If a prospective member has graduated, she could be invited to join the sorority at the discretion of the graduate chapter.

## Governance

The leadership of the sorority in the early years was derived from three separate groups—the original group, the sophomores, and the incorporators, who together are known as "The Twenty Pearls". Twelve members have held the executive director position since the office's creation on October 9, 1949.

### Executive directors

Source:
* Carey B. Maddox-Preston (1948–1974)
* Anne Mitchem-Davis (1974–1980)
* Earnestine G. McNealey (1980–1985)
* Barbara McKinzie (1985–1987)
* Nan D. Johnson (1987–1988)
* Alison Harris (1989–1996)
* Emma Lilly Henderson (1997–1998)
* Carey B. Maddox-Preston (1998–1999)
* Betty N. James (1999–2009)
* Deborah Dangerfield (2009–2013)
* Cynthia Howell (2013–2022)
* Jacquelyn Lewis Young (2022 – Present)

### International Presidents

Listed below are the thirty International Presidents since the 1913 institution of the office.
* Nellie Quander (1913)
* Lorraine Richardson Green (1919)
* Lottie Pearl Mitchell (1923)
* Pauline S. Puryear (1925)
* B. Beatrix Scott (1927)
* Maudelle Brown Bousfield (1929)
* Maude B. Porter (1931)
* Ida L. Jackson (1933)
* Margaret D. Bowen (1936)
* Dorothy B. Ferebee (1939)
* Beulah T. Whitby (1941)
* Edna O. Campbell (1946)
* Laura Lovelace (1949)
* Arnetta G. Wallace (1953)
* Marjorie H. Parker (1958)
* Julia B. Purnell (1962)
* Larzette Hale (1966)
* Mattelia B. Grays (1970)
* Bernice I. Sumlin (1974)
* Barbara K. Phillips (1978)
* Faye B. Bryant (1982)
* Janet Jones Ballard (1986)
* Mary Shy Scott (1990)
* Eva L. Evans (1994)
* Norma S. White (1998)
* Linda White (2002)
* Barbara A. McKinzie (2006)
* Carolyn House Stewart (2010)
* Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson (2014)
* Glenda Glover (2018)
* Danette Anthony Reed (2022 – Present)

### Boulé

The Boulé is the regulating institution of the sorority and currently meets every two years. The first Boulé was held at Howard University in Washington, D.C., in December 1918. Meetings were held annually in December. No Boulé occurred in 1942 due to World War II. The 41st Boulé in 1964 was the last annual meeting scheduled around the Christmas holiday. After the 41st Boulé, Boulé meetings were held every two years. The 69th Annual Boule scheduled for July 15–19, 2020, in Philadelphia, was canceled because of concerns about COVID-19.
Notable speakers at Boulé conventions include civil rights activists Martin Luther King Jr. and Roy Wilkins.