On Wednesday, January 15, 1908, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority became the first (and oldest) Greek-lettered organization established by and for African American college educated women. Beginning with our founder, Ethel Hedgemon Lyle, a junior on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. During the academic year 1907-1908, Ethel Hedgemon, curated an idea to organize a sorority, an association of women students with exemplary talent and skills.

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After a period of exchanging ideas and pooling suggestions, the group of our nine founders began the process of the preliminary organization. In this group were the Burke sisters (Beulah and Lillie), Margaret Flagg Holmes, Marjorie Hill, Lucy Slowe, Marie Woolfolk Taylor, Anna Easter Brown, and Lavinia Norman. As they saw the light, seven students of the class of 1910 were admitted in the organization. These members were Joanna Berry, Norma Boyd, Ethel Jones, Sarah Meriweather, Alice Murray, Carrie Snowden, and Harriet Terry. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority was incorporated® in 1913 by Norma Boyd, Julia Brooks, Ethel Jones Mowbray, Nellie Quander, Nellie Pratt Russell and Minnie Smith to ensure its perpetuity for all time. In the later years it became Alpha Kappa Alpha’s tradition to honor all these women as “founders”.

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Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated ® (AKA), an international service organization, was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1908. It is the oldest Greek-letter organization established by African American college-educated women.

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Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated® is comprised of more than 325,000 initiated members in graduate and undergraduate chapters located in 12 countries including the United States, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Dubai, Germany, Japan, Liberia, Nigeria, South Korea, South Africa and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Led by International President & CEO Danette Anthony Reed of Dallas, Texas, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, often is hailed as “America’s premier Greek-letter organization for African American women.”