01/16/2023
Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority, Incorporated, the first collegiate African-American sorority, was founded on the campus of Howard University on January 15, 1908 in our nation’s capital, a community where African-American women had few opportunities for social standing, goods, and services at the time. While Washington, D.C. was reforming to the City Beautiful Movement, which promoted the idea of beautifying urban community architecture, the ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha saw a larger purpose at stake. Washington, D.C. could not be reformed without acknowledging the lack of order in the African American community's education, health, and leadership representation.
Over the years, the sorority has established programs to provide and improve education, health care, international development, and strengthen the African-American community.
Locally, the sorority’s 1,046 undergraduate and graduate chapters in the U.S. and abroad continue to be pillars of outreach through programs such as feeding the homeless, providing college scholarships to young adults, hosting seminars for mental health awareness, and educational programs for the senior community. Nationally, Alpha Kappa Alpha has raised more than $2.1 billion to help Historically Black Colleges and Universities secure financial stability and accreditation. Internationally, Alpha Kappa Alpha members have answered the call to service by providing over 200 Power Packs per chapter on weekends and holidays for local children through their signature program CHIPP™ (Childhood Hunger Initiative Power Pack).
Today, over 320,000 women around the world who proudly represent this elite legacy celebrate 115 years of service to all mankind. Happy Founders’ Day to the women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated.
