Kappa Omicron Chapter of
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Alpha Kappa Alpha: A Brief History
In the Beginning
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In 1908, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® became the first Greek-letter organization established by and for Black women. Her roots date back to Howard University, Washington, D.C. where the idea for formation was conceived by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle of St. Louis, Missouri. She viewed the Sorority as an instrument for enriching the social and intellectual aspects of college life by providing mental stimulation through interaction with friends and associates.
Through the years, Alpha Kappa Alpha's functioning has become more complex. After her incorporation as a perpetual body in 1913, Alpha Kappa Alpha gradually branched out and has grown from one undergraduate chapter to an international organization with a membership of more than 175,000 women in over 900 chapters. Our membership consists of ladies of distinction and exemplary character who excel in scholarship, leadership and service. Our undergraduate and graduate chapters are located throughout the United States, West Africa, the United Kingdom, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands and Germany. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. is the epitome of class, grace, and finer womanhood.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® is a wonderful sisterhood committed to community service. Solving the problems of our community is a very serious matter, and nothing is more rewarding than doing this with the love, cooperation and support of the many talented members of our sorority.
Our Purpose
The purpose of Alpha Kappa Alpha 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 in order to improve their social stature, to maintain a progressive interest in college life, and to be of “Service to All Mankind"
Our Twenty Pearls
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The nine Howard University students who had been led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle into a sisterhood in 1908, Nellie Quander and her gallant group who contributed the added dimension of national organization and perpetual membership, and those who have come after them — the never-ending stream of eternally young, hopeful enthusiastic women — need to be remembered. The efforts of these Alpha Kappa Alpha women in scholarship promotion, vocational guidance, encouragement of foreign study, health services, and the promotion of human and civil rights constitute a priceless part of the black experience in America.
Ethel Hedgeman Lyle
Norma Elizabeth Boyd
Julia Evangeline Brooks
Anna Easter Brown
Beulah Elizabeth Burke
Lillie Burke
Marjorie Hill
Margaret Flagg Holmes
Ethel Jones Mowbray
Alice P. Murray
Lavinia Norman
Sara Meriweather Nutter
Nellie M. Quander
Nellie Pratt Russell
Joanna Berry Shields
Lucy Diggs Slowe
Minnie Beatrice Smith
Carrie Elizabeth Snowden
Marie Woolfolk Taylor
Harriet Josephine Terry
Alpha Kappa Alpha Quick Facts
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Name:
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®
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Founding Date:
Wednesday, January 15, 1908
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Founding Location:
Howard University, Washington, D.C.
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Publication:
The Ivy Leaf
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International Website:
aka1908.com
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Name:
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®
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Founding Date:
Wednesday, January 15, 1908
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Founding Location:
Howard University, Washington, D.C.
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Publication:
The Ivy Leaf
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International Website:
aka1908.com