History of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority

 

On January 15, 1908, a group of young women at Howard University, caught the inspiration of a fellow student. Ethel Hedgeman (Lyle) initiated the movement of Greek-letter sororities among Black women in America.  She along with Lillie Burke, Beulah Burke, Margaret Flagg Holmes, Marie Woolfolk Taylor, Lavinia Norman, Anna “Easter” Brown, Lucy Slowe and Marjorie Hill derived Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.  They were later joined by a group of sophomore girls (Joanna Berry Shields, Norma Boyd, Ethel Jones, Sarah Meriweather Nutter, Alice Murray, Carrie Snowden and Harriet Terry) who were very impressed by the new sorority.

From this small group of nine intelligent and courageous young women at Howard, Alpha Kappa Alpha has grown into a force of more than 280,000 collegiate members and alumnae, constituting more than 980 chapters in 42 states, the District of Columbia, the US Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, Germany, Africa, South Korea, Japan, Canada, and on the continent of Africa.  The International Headquarters is located at  Chicago, Illinois operated by an Executive Director and several staff members.

Through the years, Alpha Kappa Alpha has maintained its focus on “service to all mankind”.   It's constant purpose for the past 107 years has been to cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards in young women, to promote unity and friendship among college women, and to study and help alleviate problems concerning girls and women in order to improve the social stature of the human race.