ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA NATIONAL HISTORY

In 1908, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority became America's first Greek-letter organization established by Black college women. Her roots date back to Howard University, Washington, D.C., where the idea for formation was conceived by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle of St. Louis, Missouri. She viewed the Sorority as an instrument for enriching the social and intellectual aspects of college life by providing mental stimulation through interaction with friends and associates. Through the years, however, Alpha Kappa Alpha's function has become more complex. After her incorporation as a perpetual body in 1913, Alpha Kappa Alpha gradually branched out and became the channel through which selected college-trained women improved the socioeconomic conditions in their city, state, nation, and the world.

In a world in which materialism is pervasive, and technology and competition have decreased the need for collaboration and cooperation, it is critical to have an association that cuts across racial, international, physical, and social barriers to help individuals and communities develop and maintain constructive relationships with others. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is that vital organization.

Alpha Kappa Alpha is a sisterhood composed of women who have consciously chosen this affiliation as a means of self-fulfillment through volunteer service. Alpha Kappa Alpha cultivates and encourages high scholastic and ethical standards; promotes unity and friendship among college women; alleviates problems concerning girls and women; maintains a progressive interest in college life; and serves all mankind through a nucleus of more than 170,000 women in the United States, the Caribbean, Europe, and Africa.

Candidacy for membership into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is open to women of high ethical and scholastic standards who are pursuing or have completed courses leading to a degree in an accredited college or university. Our official headquarters is in Chicago, Illinois.

FOUNDERS

The Original Group

The Sophomores

The Incorporators

MEMBERSHIP

Benefits of Membership

Alpha Kappa Alpha membership has its privileges! By uniting our individual efforts we have built a strong, cohesive organization that positively impacts the lives of our families and communities. Our success is based on the depth of commitment, vision, and confidence of our members.

We therefore seek women who will promote and extend the policies and programs of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. The Sorority, in return, is a conduit through which individuals can grow and develop personally and professionally while at the same time provide service to mankind.

New Members – Undergraduate

An undergraduate, to be considered a candidate for membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, must be a woman of high ethical and moral standards, matriculating as a full-time student at the school where the campus chapter is located or matriculating as a full-time student in a school in the community where a city chapter of undergraduate status is located, and must have creditably completed one grading period in school.

Undergraduate candidates must have attained the cumulative average of C+ and the semester average of C+ in the semester immediately prior to submitting an application for membership. In those two, three, or four-year senior colleges or universities using pass-fail, required competency, or good standing systems of grading, either shall be acceptable.

Undergraduates desiring to become a candidate for membership must attend the official Rush.