IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1711 

Commemorating the eminently successful performance and record of excellence 

of Barbara A. McKinzie, immediate past international president of the 

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 29, 2010 

Ms. WATSON submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Education and Labor 

RESOLUTION 

Commemorating the eminently successful performance and 

record of excellence of Barbara A. McKinzie, immediate 

past international president of the Alpha Kappa Alpha 

Sorority, Inc. 

Whereas Barbara A. McKinzie has proven to be an extremely 

successful president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority 

(AKA); 

Whereas inspired by the AKA ESP theme of ‘‘Economics, 

Service and Partnerships,’’ the last 4 years have been 

marked by achievements and milestones that are unparalleled in the 102-year history of the organization; 

Whereas the ESP narrative chronicles international president 

McKinzie’s triumphant 4 years; 


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•HRES 1711 IH 

Whereas under her leadership, Alpha Kappa Alpha has been: 

‘‘E’’ for effective; 

Whereas AKA served more than 17,000,000 individuals 

worldwide through ESP programs from 2006 to 2010 

and it has also logged over 1,500,000 volunteer hours 

executing the ESP program over the past 3 years; 

Whereas AKA has been entrepreneurial by launching a multitude of programs and activities directed at building a 

strong foundation for women in business and those 

women aspiring to be entrepreneurs, and the information 

and insights provided under these programs and activities 

has resulted in over 400 formerly emerging entrepreneurs 

opening their own firms and becoming employers; 

Whereas AKA instituted the ‘‘On Top of the Game’’, a youth 

business plan competition to support the development of 

youth entrepreneurs in 9th through 12th grades; 

Whereas for their achievement, regional and national winners 

received monetary awards to reinvest in their businesses; 

Whereas AKA has been environmentally conscious by transforming a rundown park in Anchorage, Alaska, into a 

beautiful park by planting flowers, removing weeds and 

other environmental toxins, and leaving AKA’s environmental signature on the area; 

Whereas all totaled, members of AKA volunteered over 1,000 

hours of hands-on beautification activities amounting to 

over $18,000 of donated work in July 2009; 

Whereas AKA has been economically forward thinking by 

carrying out an exemplary service program that recognized economic empowerment as the key to the success 

of the Black community and other people of color; 


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Whereas the focus of AKA on all issues economic—Economic 

Awareness, Economic Sufficiency and Economic Empowerment resulted in programs that have pumped more 

than $23,000,000 into the local communities throughout 

the globe; 

Whereas AKA sponsored forums and discussions on economic 

issues that increased economic literacy and economic 

growth, improved living standards, fostered health consciousness, and led to implementation of programs to 

make individuals and communities more economically viable by adopting families to increase their viability and 

economic growth; 

Whereas AKA instituted a series of systematic administrative 

and financial reforms that enabled the sorority to eliminate a $1,200,000 Federal tax liability and return the organization to sound financial footing; 

Whereas AKA has served as educational guardians by launching the Undergraduate Signature Program: Economic 

Educational Advancement through Technology on 10 

beta site college campuses worldwide where residents 

were taught technology skills, which all 300 undergraduate chapters implemented; 

Whereas AKA initiated ABCs for HBCUs (Advocates for 

Black Colleges), which resulted in more than $650,000 

distributed to Black colleges and strengthened Alpha 

Kappa Alpha’s long-standing position as a board member 

of the United Negro College Fund; 

Whereas AKA made an historic $1,000,000 donation to Howard University; 

Whereas under the McKinzie Administration, Alpha Kappa 

Alpha Sorority members have been ‘‘spectacular achievVerDate Mar 15 2010 21:13 Oct 04, 2010 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1711.IH HR1711

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ers’’ through the establishment of its position as a global 

influence when the United Nations’ Economic and Social 

Council (ECOSOC) granted AKA special consultative 

status; 

Whereas AKA was inducted into the Guinness Book of World 

Records for the largest ever sit down dinner in the history of conventions worldwide, when 16,206 members 

dined at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center 

during the Centennial Celebration; 

Whereas AKA has served as a servant to services nationally 

by donating and helping to build Habitat for Humanity 

Homes for 2 families displaced by Katrina from New Orleans and Gulfport, Mississippi, and in so doing, performed 1,150 hours of construction work and, in July 

2007, became the first organization of its kind to make 

such a donation; 

Whereas AKA distributed food to more than 400 New Orleans families in one day through a partnership with Feed 

the Children; 

Whereas AKA fanned out to communities worldwide as part 

of President Barack Obama and the First Lady’s Day of 

National Service; 

Whereas AKA has served as servants to service on a global 

level by cementing a $500,000 partnership with Liberian 

President and AKA member Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to 

build the Omega Market Village that will provide financial and other support for the empowerment of Liberian 

women market traders and to help restore their livelihood 

as they recover from 14 years of civil war; 

Whereas AKA has served as strong guardians of the sorority 

by assuring that all chapters are in compliance with the 


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rules and regulations of the organization through an extensive evaluation of each chapter; 

Whereas AKA revamped the Membership Intake Process as 

a way to institutionalize the sorority’s value system and 

reduce inactivity; 

Whereas AKA increased the membership 15 percent, doubled 

the sorority’s revenue, and pursued a professional investment strategy that beat market performance that helped 

increase the organization’s assets by $8,000,000; 

Whereas AKA created a communications arm that blitzed the 

media with news about the organization and generated 

over $2,000,000 in free exposure including global coverage that elevated AKA’s brand and cemented its position and stature as one of the world’s foremost service organizations; 

Whereas under McKinzie’s inspired leadership, Alpha Kappa 

Alpha members have been philanthropists; 

Whereas AKA members and chapters donated over $130,000 

to CARE’s Haiti Disaster Fund; 

Whereas AKA stepped up and contributed during crises that 

upended members and citizens including the raging fires 

in California, the floods in Texas, and the oil spill on the 

Gulf Coast; 

Whereas AKA contributed over $500,000 to Alpha Phi Alpha’s Memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; 

Whereas as partners, AKA collaborated with Africare to 

focus on challenges confronting the continent of Africa, 

Chase Bank to create homeownership opportunities for 

members, Loop21 to gauge the 2010 State of Black 

America, and many more; 


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Whereas AKA served as proactivists when AKA coordinated 

a formidable voter registration and education campaign 

whose reach extended to hard-to-penetrate areas and to 

formerly apathetic citizens; 

Whereas this all-out offensive resulted in record numbers of 

citizens joining the voter rolls, becoming more politically 

empowered, and casting their vote in the historic 2008 

election; 

Whereas AKA spearheaded and led a March to the Capitol 

steps in a massive show of solidarity by Black Greek organizations; 

Whereas the Unity March culminated in the presentation of 

a Unity Resolution that was presented to House Speaker 

Nancy Pelosi; 

Whereas AKA spoke out against injustice and in support of 

equality wherever it occurred including Don Imus’ comments about the Rutgers women’s basketball team, the 

Jena Six, and global hunger; 

Whereas as preservers of Alpha Kappa Alpha’s Legacy, AKA 

instituted a program to preserve, maintain, and protect 

Alpha Kappa Alpha’s legacy by continually collecting and 

storing documents and maintaining them at Howard University’s Moorland Spingarn Collection; 

Whereas the AKA Collection includes the digitized Ivy Leaf, 

AKA’s official magazine, mementoes, letters, papers, documents, photographs and other memorabilia that captures the 102-year-old legacy of AKA and serves as a repository for researchers and others interested in the comprehensive history of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority; 

Whereas AKA donated the Centennial Traveling Exhibit to 

the Washington Historical Society (valued at $450,000), 


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and produced documentary films celebrating 100 years of 

sisterhood and service; 

Whereas AKA acted as protectors and mounted a variety of 

initiatives to protect, uplift and inspire women and girls 

Nationwide and worldwide, including on the continent of 

Africa; and 

Whereas AKA has been progressive in implementing a ‘‘best 

in class’’ leadership development program that created a 

core of highly knowledgeable and qualified members to 

lead the nation and world as problem solvers and service 

providers during the challenging times that lie ahead: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) acknowledges the leadership of immediate 

3 past international president Barbara Mckinzie of the 

4 Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and her efforts 

5 on behalf of the sorority to fulfill its motto of ‘‘serv6 ice to all mankind’’; 

7 (2) salutes the efforts of the Alpha Kappa 

8 Alpha Sorority, Inc., on a domestic and international 

9 level; and 

10 (3) recognizes the significance of Alpha Kappa 

11 Sorority, Inc., as an organization that continues to 

12 make a global impact worldwide. 

Æ 


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