The Founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

A dream of ETHEL HEDGEMAN (LYLE) came to fruition in 1908 on the campus of Howard University (Washington, D.C.) with the establishment of ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY, the first African-American sorority for college women. The other fifteen young women who joined her as FOUNDERS are:

NORMA BOYD	ETHEL JONES MOWBRAY
LAVINIA NORMAN	SARA MERIWEATHER NUTTER
BEULAH BURKE	JOANNA SHIELDS
ANNA BROWN	LUCY SLOWE
LILLIAN BURKE	CARRIE SNOWDEN
MARJORIE HILL	MARIE WOOLFOLK TAYLOR
MARGARET FLAGG HOLMES	HARRIET TERRY
ALICE MURRAY

The Sorority, incorporated in 1913, initially served as a vehicle for enriching the intellectual and social aspects of college life. Today, that tradition continues. Alpha Kappa Alpha cultivates and encourages high scholastic and ethical standards and promotes unity and friendship among college educated women.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. now has more than 140,000 women in over 860 undergraduate and graduate chapters located in the United States, the Carribean, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The International foci include: Education, Health, Economics, the Black Family, and the Arts.

The Sorority has had twenty-five Supreme Basilei (National/International Presidents) whose photographs hang on the wall of the Corporate Office in Chicago, Illinois. The sixteenth Supreme Basileus, Julia Brogdon Purnell, was a Charter Member of GAMMA XI OMEGA CHAPTER.

(Left to right-Harriet Wilder, Marlene, Juanita Robinson)

I served as Basileus (President) of GAMMA XI OMEGA CHAPTER which is in the SIGNIFICANT SOUTH ATLANTIC REGION from January 1998 through December 1999. Our chapter provides Graduate Advisors and Mentors for IOTA OMICRON CHAPTER at the College Of Charleston.