Alpha Kappa Alpha

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.(ΑΚΑ) is the first intercollegiatehistorically African-Americansorority.The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at thehistorically blackHoward UniversityinWashington, D.C., by a group of nine students led byEthel 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 theNational Pan-Hellenic Council(NPHC). The current International President is Danette Anthony Reed, and the sorority's document and pictorial archives are located atMoorland-Spingarn Research Center.
In the spring of 1907,Ethel Hedgemon Lyleled efforts to create a sisterhood atHoward University. Howard faculty member Ethel T. Robinson encouraged Hedgemon by relating her observances of sorority life at the Women's College atBrown University. (Robinson and other female students could not participate in the existing sororities because of their race.) 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 (second) chapter ofAlpha Phi Alpha, but the Alpha (first) chapter of AKA was accepted in November 1907. The Beta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity made its presence known 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 continued 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.
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 ofDelta 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 nationally incorporate on January 29, 1913.
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 theUniversity of Chicagowas chartered in fall 1913.The sorority was the first ofBlack Greek letter organizationsat 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 annualBoulé, 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, theIvy Leafwas 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 inKansas 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 fraternitiesKappa Alpha PsiandOmega Psi Phiand sororities Delta Sigma Theta andZeta Phi Beta, formed theNational 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 theGreat Migration, members assisted theTravelers Aid Societyto help thousands ofSouthernBlacks adjust toNorthernsociety, find housing and navigate around the city. They also volunteered at theFreedman's Hospital.
In April 1933, during theGreat Depression, International President Ida Jackson visited All Saints Industrial School inLexington,Mississippi. She found difficult conditions in theMississippi 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 theMississippi Health Project, with Dr.Dorothy Boulding Ferebeeappointed 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 casesdiphtheriaandsmallpoxin 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-timecongressionallobbyfor minority group civil rights.Throughout the organization's life, the Non-Partisan Council worked with theNAACP,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, theBrotherhood of Sleeping Car Portersand 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 concerningcivil rightslegislation.The ACHR was proposed at the 1946 Boulé.In October 1946, Alpha Kappa Alpha was the first sorority to obtain observer status at theUnited Nations.On January 25, 1948, Delta Sigma Theta, Zeta Phi Beta,Sigma Gamma Rhosororities, and Alpha Phi Alpha andPhi Beta Sigmafraternities 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 theNAACP.On September 1, 1945, Alpha Kappa Alpha established The National Health Office inNew York City.The National Health Office coordinated activities with local chapters and worked with the ACHC to promote health initiatives beforeCongress, increase the number of studentnurses, and improve the state of health programs athistorically black colleges and universities.The National Health Office was dissolved in 1951, as its goals were incorporated into the sorority's international program.
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 thearmed forcesand public places.The ACHR participated in filing civil rights cases inamicus curiaewithBolling v. Sharpeand 1954'sBrown 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 theWhite House. On August 20, 1964, PresidentLyndon B. Johnsonsigned theEconomic Opportunity Act, which allowed the creation of theJob Corps.The sorority wanted to operate a student job training center. Led by president Julia Purnell, ΆKΆ negotiated with theOffice of Economic Opportunityto operate a women's center from October 1964 to January 1965.Alpha Kappa Alpha was awarded a $4 million grant (equivalent to $38.7 million in 2023) to operate theClevelandJob 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 publishingThe Heritage Seriesbetween 1968 and 1972.Thesepamphletswere 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 preservingMartin Luther King Jr.'s birthplaceinAtlanta,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.
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 withAfricare, 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 inSouth Africaafterapartheidended, 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 byDaimler 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 sorority responded to the call for help in the fall of 2005 afterHurricane Katrinaby raising money for a disaster relief fund.In July 2007, throughHabitat for Humanity, the sorority helped build a house inNew Orleansfor a family that survived Hurricane Katrina.
In addition to educational programs, Alpha Kappa Alpha contributed to drawing awareness to health-related issues, such asAIDS,sickle cell anemia,breast cancer, andthe importance of staying in shape.Recently, the sorority has supported the efforts of justice for theJena Six.Also, the sorority connects to the past by partnering with African Ancestry.Sorority members may use African Ancestry'sDNAtesting to findgenealogicaldata for themselves and their families. The partnership aims to help members trace family connections through the world and inAfricato embrace African-American culture and the larger community.
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 apilgrimageto 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 entireIvy Leafpublication.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 featuringR&BGrammy Award-winning singer and Honorary MemberPatti LaBellewere among the events that took place at the centennial Boulé.On July 17, 2008, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority set aGuinness World Recordwhen 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, withU.S. SenatorHillary Clintonand sorority memberU.S. RepresentativeSheila Jackson-Lee, who both agreed to pass legislation in both houses of theUnited States Congressto commemorate the sorority's founding.In addition, the toy companyMatteldesigned aBarbiecollectible doll fashioned with a pink and green evening gown.
The sorority's motto is "By Culture and By Merit".Its colors are salmon pink and apple green.Its symbol is theIvy leafand its flower is thePink Tea Rose.Its publication is theIvy Leafmagazine.Alpha Kappa Alpha members are called AKAs, Alpha Women, and Ivies.
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 theUnited States, theCaribbean,Canada, andSouth Africa.
The termsoror, derived from theLatinfor "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 asSupreme Basileus.Deceased members are referred to as "Ivies Beyond the Wall".
Honorary membershipis Alpha Kappa Alpha's highest honor.Jane Addams, winner of theNobel Peace Prize, is among the first honorary members.Eleanor Rooseveltwas made an honorary member.Hillary Clintonaccepted honorary membership into Alpha Kappa Alpha.However, Clinton later declined initiation into the organization due to the sorority's exclusive requirement preventing acceptance into otherPan-Hellenicorganizations, as she desired her membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha to be "non-exclusive."
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.
InOur Kind of People: Inside America's Upper Class,Lawrence Otis Grahamtells of his aunt's experience in joining the Ivy Leaf Pledge Club:
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.
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.
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Listed below are the thirty International Presidents since the 1913 institution of the office.
The Bouléis 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 toWorld War II.The 41st Boulé in 1964 was the last annual meeting scheduled around theChristmasholiday.After the 41st Boulé, Boulé meetings were held every two years.The 69th Annual Boule scheduled for July 15–19, 2020, inPhiladelphia, PA, was canceled because of concerns about COVID-19.
Notable speakers at Boulé conventions include civil rights activistsMartin Luther King Jr.andRoy Wilkins.
No Boulé occurred in 1942, due toWorld War II. The 41st Boulé was the last meeting that AKA scheduled for theChristmasholiday. After the 41st Boulé, AKA held Boulé meetings every two years. AKA canceled the 69th Annual Boule planned for July 15–19, 2020, in Philadelphia, PA, due to concerns over COVID-19.
After establishing 32 graduate and undergraduate chapters in 1924, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority organized chapters according to their regions in the United States and abroad. The Boulé determines the boundaries of the regions.The ten regions are each led by a Regional Director, where she serves a member of the sorority's board of directors. In addition to serving on the sorority's Board of Directors, the Regional Director also follows guidelines, program targets set by the International President, and procedures.Almost two-thirds of the sorority's Regional Directors have been elected international presidents.
Ivy Acres will be a retirement center inWinston-Salem, North Carolina. The retirement center is sponsored by Senior Residences, Incorporated, a subsidiary of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.Ivy Acres will be one of the first retirement centers founded by African Americans andminoritiesin the United States. It will offer assisted or individual living for individuals aged over 55, regardless of background, ethnicity, or religion.Barbara K. Phillips, former vice-president and Project Coordinator for Senior Residences, Incorporated, explains the purpose of Ivy Acres: "We determined that there is a need out there, but this will be open to all. We want to be diverse; we want to be multicultural. Anyone who wants to come will be welcome."
The gated community will be on a 48-acre (190,000 m) site. The planning for Ivy Acres cost approximately US$32 million.In addition, according toBusiness Wire, Ivy Acres will comprise "188 independent residential units, which will be both apartments and cottages, 40 assisted-living apartments and twenty private accommodations for skilled nursing care."Residents are expected to pay $1,890 to $2,890 monthly for services.
The Ivy Reading AKAdemy provides programs that encourage the entire community to become involved. The concept serves as an educational and human resource center for programs provided by Alpha Kappa Alpha. Working withNo Child Left Behindin mind, "The Ivy Reading AKAdemy", a reading initiative, focuses on early learning and mastery of basic reading skills by the end of third grade. The Ivy Reading AKAdemy has a $1.5 million proposal pending with theUnited States Department of Educationto fund a three-year nationwide after-school demonstration project in low-performing, economically deprived inner-city schools in 16 sites within the continental United States.
The Leadership Fellows Program is a fully funded event in which 30 Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority sophomore and junior undergraduate members worldwide are individually trained for professional leadership roles. In addition, the fellows contribute to community service for one week. One of the selection criteria is that members must have at least a 3.0GPA.The program initially was planned in 1978. The first program was held inIndianathe following year with 29 students.Various cities around the United States have held the Leadership Fellows Program. In the past, Alpha Kappa Alpha has sponsored the event through the Educational Advancement Foundation. Also, the program has been financed byPillsbury,Tyson Foods,Johnson & Johnson, and most recentlyGeneral Electric.
Partnerships in Mathematics and Science (PIMS) began in Eva Evans's administration in 1994 and was a part of the SPIRIT program during theLinda Whiteadministration.Evans mentioned the need for a math and science program: "As a college sorority, we've always advanced an educational agenda. We always had high GPA requirements. And more than ever, we're pushing the importance of math and science for our girls. We need more black women in those fields."The program's purpose is to increase the success of youth in mathematics and science, as well as technology. TheNational Science Foundationand historically black colleges nationwide sponsored campaigns to highlight the program's importance.Several chapters provided two-week math and science summer camps on college and day school campuses, which consisted of hands-on through laboratory interactions, field trips to important sites, youth camps, and speeches from influential experts in specific areas of studies.For example, a PIMS program at Park Street Elementary School inMarietta, Georgia, consisted of third through fifth-grade girls and provided educational field trips to stimulate involvement in math and science.Also, a national PIMS Olympiad, deriving from knowledge of math and science, in conjunction with the PIMS Community Parade was held at the 58th Boulé inDallas, Texas.
In Linda White's administration, the Young Authors Program was born. The program aims to encourage and raise reading and writing involvement in kindergarten through third-grade children. Each of the ten regions in the sorority had the opportunity to choose a child's story to be published in a two-volume anthology entitledThe Spirit Within: Voices of Young Authors.In 2004, twenty children were honored in the first anthology.The authors were recognized and performed book signings in the 2004 and 2006 Boulés.At the 2004 Boulé inNashville, Tennessee, formerDepartment of EducationSecretaryRod Paigeattended. On July 15, 2004, First LadyLaura Bushspoke on the Ivy AKAdemy's dedication to reading initiatives, "Teaching our children to read is the most critical educational priority facing our country. Children who do not learn to read by third grade continue to find reading a challenge throughout their lives. These expectations increase in amount and complexity each year."
Alpha Kappa Alpha's Educational Advancement Foundation (EAF) is a separate andtax-exemptbranch of the sorority, which "provide[s] financial support to individuals and organizations engaged in lifelong learning."The foundation awards academic scholarships (for undergraduate members of the sorority, as well as non-members),fellowships, andgrantsfor community service.
The foundation was founded in 1978 by Constance Holland, the sister of former Alpha Kappa Alpha International President Dr. Barbara Phillips. It officially began in 1980, and the sorority donated US$10,000 for the project. Eight years later, the organization awarded $10,000 to fourteen students. In 1991, EAF awarded mini-grants to community organizations. In 1998, EAF provided the first Youth Partners Accessing Capital (PAC) award to an undergraduate member.
At the organization's twentieth anniversary in 2000, EAF publishedPerpetuating Our Posterity: A Blueprint for Excellence. The book served as a comprehensive history of the organization and a source of advice for other beginning philanthropies. EAF went online with awebsitein 2003.
The organization celebrated a silver anniversary inNassau, Bahamas, in 2005. EAF is incorporated into the International President's centennial program for funding under Excellent Scholarly Performance. Overall, EAF has donated more than $200,000 in grants and awarded scholarships to 1,400 students.Other major donors to EAF includeContinental AirlinesandNorthern Trust.
Many members of Alpha Kappa Alpha have become civil rights activists, educators, entertainers, and politicians.
On June 20, 2009, eight Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority members filed a complaint in theSuperior Court for the District of Columbiademanding that international presidentBarbara McKinziebe fired for improper use of sorority funds and the money be returned to the sorority.The lawsuit claimed that the sorority's executive board approved the spending of substantial amounts on McKinzie's costs of living, including the commissioning an expensive wax model of McKinzie that cost $900,000. McKinzie denied the allegations, describing them as "without merit", The sorority revoked the memberships of the eight members who filed the complaint in retaliation for the lawsuit, but a judge later required reinstatement.In February 2010, the Superior Court for the District of Columbia dismissed the lawsuit.On August 18, 2011, theDistrict of Columbia Court of Appealsreversed that decision.
On March 22, 2012, a forensic audit of Alpha Kappa Alpha's 2010 financial records revealed concerns with past president McKinzie's development and access to a "secret" bank account. The findings of the audit supported the claims in the previous lawsuit. The audit also found that two former officials continued using sorority credit cards after their service ended, failing to document charges appropriately. Another lawsuit against the organization, McKinzie, and other officials contained similar allegations. The audit found that McKinzie and the other officials secretly created a second set of financial books to get around the sorority's accounting policies. According to the audit, "(n)early $1.7 million in payments were made to the former president, Barbara McKinzie, without authorization. Approximately $282,000 in credit card charges on a second set of books appear to be fraudulent, including personal charges the sorority wasn't reimbursed for."The sorority later expelled McKinzieand won an arbitration award of $1.6 million against her. McKinzie challenged the award,but the appeals court affirmed the award in favor of the sorority.
In 2018, theUniversity of Pittsburghsuspended the Iota chapter because ofhazing—a mother reported bruises on her daughter's arm. The daughter, along with eleven other students, admitted to having been involved in hazing practices at the sorority.
On September 9, 2002, Kristin High (age 22) and Kenitha Saafir (age 24) fromCalifornia State University, Los Angeles, died following an illegal hazing activity. Members of Alpha Kappa Alpha instructed the women to perform a series of activities blindfolded onDockweiler State Beachwhen a high tide came and eventually drowned both of them. The next day, when the woman brought Kristin's car and cell phone to her mother, she noticed her pledge journal missing from the car and numbers deleted from her cell phone. Before Kristin's death, Kristin's mother encouraged her to fully disassociate herself from the sorority after Kristin discussed inappropriate behavior by members of AKA. A year after the incident, the families of the deceased settled with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated after filing a $100 million civilwrongful deathlawsuit. The sorority denied having an active chapter at CSULA, but the court rejected that assertion and found the sorority accountable for the deaths.No criminal charges were filed. The CSULA chapter had previously been sanctioned for hazing, and the sorority permanently expelled all members involved with the death.
In May 2018, the Alpha Beta chapter at Fort Valley State University (FVSU) was placed under investigation by theUniversity System of Georgiaand the Georgia Bureau of Investigations due to compelling allegations that the executive assistant to FVSU's president and graduate advisor of the chapter, Alecia Johnson, suggested low-income prospective members have sex with affluent men in Georgia to cover approximately $1,500 in required membership intake fees. Johnson resigned from her position at the university and hired legal representation to contest the allegations.In June 2019, Johnson pled guilty to prostituting herself and one FVSU student. Also, as part of her plea deal, she testified against the men charged in the prostitution ring. Her plea deal resulted in her getting five years of probation, 180 days of house arrest, and a $1,000 fine.GBI investigations led to indictments that included no members of the AKA chapter.AKA completed an internal investigation into the matter, and allowed the chapter to remain in good standing with the sorority's highest leadership.
In a 2019 lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of Illinois, the family of Jordan Hankins blamed Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc. for her 2017suicide. Hankins, a sophomore basketball player at Northwestern University, pledged to the sorority after receiving official membership. While backward pledging to gain respect from chapter members who went through a similar process, Hankins "was subjected to physical abuse including paddling, verbal abuse, mental abuse, financial exploitation, sleep deprivation, items being thrown and dumped on her, and other forms of hazing intended to humiliate and demean her," according to the lawsuit. An official statement from Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc. says the sorority is "deeply saddened" by Hankins' death and declined to comment on the details of the complaint and her suicide due to the "sensitive nature" of the incident and "the ongoing grief her family is experiencing".