Greek women in my family belonged to one organization: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Aunts, cousins and, most importantly, my mother, are lovely ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha. They were women of such poise and grace. They were women of outstanding achievements.
So, when I arrived on the campus of Atlanta’s Spelman College in the fall of 1990, I was sure there was only one sorority for me.
Except…Spelman is a college full of absolutely exceptional women. And many of the women I admired and respected most were members or seeking membership in other sororities. How could I be sure I was pursuing the right one?
I took some time to find out what AKA was and is. What I found was that, as the very first sorority founded by black college women in 1908, Alpha Kappa Alpha is a trailblazer, a trend-setter. It’s the first of its kind.
As a first-of-its-kind organization, AKA attracts leading women. Among its well-known members are civil rights icons Coretta Scott King and Rosa Parks; poet Maya Angelou; astronaut Mae Jemison; singer Ella Fitzgerald; writers Toni Morrison and Alice Walker; and tennis legend Althea Gibson. Selma director Ava Duvernay, actress Jada Pinkett Smith and singer Alicia Keys are also members.
With a purpose of “service to all mankind,” AKAs worldwide have always demonstrated a commitment to community service. From the Mississippi Health Project to Job Corps training and voting rights initiatives, AKA has more than 100 years of serving the community.
Plus, I loved the absolute prettiness of it all: AKA’s pink and green colors, along with its pearls, ivy and tea roses were everything a sorority should be to me.
My mom had made the right choice. I wanted to be just like her.
So when I was initiated in to the Mu Pi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in 1992 as a sophomore at Spelman (my mom pinned me), I joined the ranks of an amazing sisterhood. Women of purpose and accomplishment. Women who worked hard, played hard, and looked good doing it!
I loved every minute of my college sorority experience. I loved all the singing, stepping and strolling. I loved the service. I loved my sisters. Loved them. The valedictorian of my graduating class – along with several members of the top 10 – were my line sisters.
Today, members of my undergraduate chapter are now doctors, lawyers, mayors, county commissioners, educators, business leaders and business owners throughout the nation.
Fulton County Magistrate Court Judge Meka Ward was president of my line. I am proud to be an owner in a communications consulting firm, and to sit on the Board of Directors for several community organizations, including: Partnershp Against Domestic Violence and Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children.
Membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha is lifelong – not limited to the undergraduate experience. It has been my privilege, my honor, to remain an active member in a graduate chapter, Phi Phi Omega, where I am currently serving as president. My mom is in my chapter, too.
As a graduate member, we are still committed to service, still committed to our sisterhood, still blazing trails.
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