Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. History
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. was founded at Howard University on January 15, 1908. It is the FIRST traditionally African-American Greek letter organization for women.
AKA was founded at a time when Jim Crow laws were enforced. Blacks were not allowed to vote and “separate but equal” were still constitutional. One generation removed from slavery AKA founders did not take their positions lightly. To be collegiately trained and an African-American woman rarely went hand in hand in this time period. Realizing that they were the exception, the organization’s founders sought to start an organization where women could come together, combining their talents and strengths in the name of sisterhood, in order to give back to the less fortunate.
The current membership of AKA totals more than 250,000 women in 975 chapters that include North America, the Caribbean, Liberia, Germany, Korea, Japan, Canada, the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Virgin Islands.
AKA was founded at a time when Jim Crow laws were enforced. Blacks were not allowed to vote and “separate but equal” were still constitutional. One generation removed from slavery AKA founders did not take their positions lightly. To be collegiately trained and an African-American woman rarely went hand in hand in this time period. Realizing that they were the exception, the organization’s founders sought to start an organization where women could come together, combining their talents and strengths in the name of sisterhood, in order to give back to the less fortunate.
The current membership of AKA totals more than 250,000 women in 975 chapters that include North America, the Caribbean, Liberia, Germany, Korea, Japan, Canada, the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Virgin Islands.