Alpha Kappa Alpha: Difference between revisions
| Line 30: | Line 30: | ||
==History== |
==History== |
||
The Howard University students were led by [[Ethel Hedgeman Lyle]] into creating the sisterhood of Alpha Kappa Alpha in 1908. Lyle was inspired by her then high school and college sweetheart George Lyle, a charter member the Beta chapter of [[Alpha Phi Alpha|Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity]] at Howard in 1907.<ref name=skip2>{{cite web |last=Mason |first=Herman "Skip" |date=1999-04-16 |url=http://www.skipmason.com/hm/hm02.htm |title=The ties that bind |publisher=skipmason.com |accessdate=2006-05-09}}</ref> 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. In 1912, a schism in the sorority led to |
The Howard University students were led by [[Ethel Hedgeman Lyle]] into creating the sisterhood of Alpha Kappa Alpha in 1908. Lyle was inspired by her then high school and college sweetheart George Lyle, a charter member the Beta chapter of [[Alpha Phi Alpha|Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity]] at Howard in 1907.<ref name=skip2>{{cite web |last=Mason |first=Herman "Skip" |date=1999-04-16 |url=http://www.skipmason.com/hm/hm02.htm |title=The ties that bind |publisher=skipmason.com |accessdate=2006-05-09}}</ref> 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. In 1912, a schism in the sorority led to nine members leaving AKA in 1913 and founding the [[Delta Sigma Theta]] Sorority.<ref name=skip4>{{cite web |last=Mason |first=Herman "Skip" |date=199-04-20 |url=http://www.skipmason.com/hm/hm04.htm |title=The ΑΚΑ/ΔΣΘ Connection |publisher=skipmason.com |accessdate=2006-05-11}}</ref> [[Nellie Quander]] led the group which incorporated the sorority as a national body in 1912 and as a perpetual body in [[1913]]. |
||
==Important members== |
==Important members== |
||
Revision as of 05:09, 27 November 2006
| Alpha Kappa Alpha | |
|---|---|
| ΑΚΑ | |
| Founded | 1908 Howard University |
| Type | Service |
| Scope | International |
| Motto | Service to All Mankind |
| Colors | Salmon Pink █ and Apple Green █ |
| Symbol | Ivy Leaf |
| Flower | Tea Rose |
| Chapters | 900+ |
| Nickname | AKA |
| Headquarters | 5656 S. Stony Island Ave Chicago, Illinois USA |
| Website | Alpha Kappa Alpha website |
Alpha Kappa Alpha (ΑΚΑ) Sorority, Incorporated, formed in January 15, 1908 at Howard University, became America's first Greek-letter organization established by Black college women, and remains a predominately African-American sorority. The sorority's membership, however, includes women of Caucasian, Asian, and Hispanic descent. The sorority serves all mankind through a nucleus of more than 185,000 women in over 950 chapters located in the United States, the Caribbean, Germany, Korea and Japan. Alpha Kappa Alpha women can be found on every continent in the world.[citation needed]
Alpha Kappa Alpha cultivates and encourages high scholastic and ethical standards, promotes unity and friendship among college women, alleviates problems concerning girls and women, maintains a progressive interest in college life. The sorority is a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC). Among the group's current goals is to have an association that cuts across racial, international, physical, and social barriers to help individuals and communities develop and maintain constructive relationships with others.
History
The Howard University students were led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle into creating the sisterhood of Alpha Kappa Alpha in 1908. Lyle was inspired by her then high school and college sweetheart George Lyle, a charter member the Beta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity at Howard in 1907.[1] 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. In 1912, a schism in the sorority led to nine members leaving AKA in 1913 and founding the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.[2] Nellie Quander led the group which incorporated the sorority as a national body in 1912 and as a perpetual body in 1913.
Important members
The leadership of the sorority in its early year was derived from three separate groups—the original group, the sophomores and the incorporators, whose combination is well known as "The Twenty Pearls."[3] The Executive Director position has been held by nine members since its creation in 1948.
The Original Group of 1908
|
|
|
Sophomores of 1910
The Sophomores of 1910 were honor students and were invited to join the sorority without participating in the initiation ceremonies.
|
|
|
Boyd and Mowbray also served as incorporators of the sorority.
The Incorporators of 1912
|
|
|
International Presidents
|
|
|
Executive Directors
|
|
Community service
Alpha Kappa Alpha has established programs which have had a direct impact for the African-American community. Members of Alpha Kappa Alpha are concerned with the plight of the Black community in relation was exemplied by its participation in the 1913 Women Suffragette March to its tireless work in eradicating lynching.
During the Great Migration, members assisted the Travelers Aid Society, helping Southern Blacks adjust to life in North, and volunteered at the Freedman's Hospital. Alpha Kappa Alpha worked with the Mississippi Health Project providing education and books to rural areas, and began a Summer School for Rural Teachers offering courses for self-improvement.
The National Non-Partisan Council on Public Affairs was created as a means to lobby politicians. The onset of World War II inspired the council to institute the Direct War Services/Complete Victory/Post War Reconstruction program.
In the 1950s, Alpha Kappa Alpha joined the American Council of Human Rights and National Health Office, implemented programs on health, social action, scholarship, and undergraduate housing as it continued its directon into public service.
The 1960s and 1970s eras paved the path for the AKAs to sponsor job training, reading enrichment, heritage, and youth programs. By encouraging youth to improve math, science, and reading skills, the sorority continued its legacy of community service and its pledge to enrich the lives of others . Alpha Kappa Alpha's high standards of excellence allows students in need and those who chose to study abroad to benefit from a fund created by AKA. Those same high standards stand today as evident in their current programs.
| Part of a series on |
| African Americans |
|---|
National programs
Program Targets
The National Program theme for 2006-2010 administration, led under Alpha Kappa Alpha's International President Barbara A. McKinzie, is "The Heart of ESP: An Extraordinary Service Program." ESP is an acronym for Economics, Sisterhood, and Partnerships. The purpose of ESP is to energize and strengthen service to the community and sisterhood within Alpha Kappa Alpha. The five platforms included in the International Program and implemented in the Ivy AKAdemy are:
- Platform I - Non-Traditional Entrepreneur
- Platform II - Economic Keys to Success
- Platform III - The Economic Growth of the Black Family
- Platform IV - Undergraduate Signature Program: Economic Educational Advancement Through Technology
- Platform V - Health Resource Management and Economics
Ivy Reading AKAdemy
The Ivy Reading AKAdemy provides programs that encourage the entire community to become involved. It serves as an educational and human resource center for programs provided by Alpha Kappa Alpha.
Working with No Child Left Behind in mind, "The Ivy Reading AKAdemy," a reading initiative, focuses on early learning and mastery of basic reading skills by the end of third grade. All chapters are requested to implement a kindergarten through third grade after-school reading initiative. A $2.7 million dollar proposal is currently pending with the United States Department of Education to 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.
Educational Advancement Foundation
Alpha Kappa Alpha's Educational Advancement Foundation (EAF) has the mission to promote life-long learning. Staying true to its founding values, they continue to provide scholarships, fellowships, and mini-grants to those who apply and meet the criteria regardless of race, creed, or gender.
National Pan-Hellenic Council
The sorority is a founder and member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC). The NPHC is composed of nine international predominantly black Greek-letter sororities and fraternities. The 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.[4]
Membership
AKA has 950 chapters located in the United States, the Caribbean, Germany, Korea and Japan.
Alpha Kappa Alpha national office says the organization is "comprised of over 185,000 college-trained women from around the world. It has an active membership of over 49,000 members who represent a diverse constituency of women, from educators to heads of state, politicians, lawyers, medical professionals, media personalities and decision-makers of major corporations. Graduate members constitute the largest percentage of membership."[5]
Trivia
- Senator Hillary Clinton, a fomer First Lady and wife of President Bill Clinton, initially accepted honorary membership into Alpha Kappa Alpha, but later declined due to its exclusive requirements which would prevent her from accepting honorary membership in other NPHC organizations.[6]
- Eleanor Roosevelt, a former First Lady and wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt was a honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha.
- Alpha Kappa Alpha founder Lucy Diggs Slowe is related to Kappa Alpha Psi founder Elder Watson Diggs.
Corporate Office - Ivy Center
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated
5656 S. Stony Island Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60637
Phone Number: (773) 684-1282
External links
- Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated
- Alpha Kappa Alpha Educational Advancement Foundation, Inc.
- Famous Alpha Kappa Alpha Women
Footnotes
- ^ Mason, Herman "Skip" (1999-04-16). "The ties that bind". skipmason.com. Retrieved 2006-05-09.
- ^ Mason, Herman "Skip" (199-04-20). "The ΑΚΑ/ΔΣΘ Connection". skipmason.com. Retrieved 2006-05-11.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "AKA Leadership". aka1908.com. Retrieved 2006-10-07.
- ^ "National Pan-Hellenic Council Aboutpage". NPHC. Retrieved 2006-08-15.
- ^ "AKA Membership Profile". aka1908.org. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
- ^ "Senator Hillary Clinton". aka1908.com. Retrieved 2006-05-09. (archive)
 |