ABOUT

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.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated® is comprised of more than 360,000 initiated members in graduate and undergraduate chapters located in 12 nations and territories including the United States, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, United Arab Emirates, 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.”

MISSION Purpose

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® was founded on a mission of five basic tenets that have remained unchanged since the sorority’s inception. Our mission is

  • to cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards,
  • to promote unity and friendship among college women,
  • to study and help alleviate problems concerning girls and women in order to improve their social stature,
  • to maintain a progressive interest in college life,
  • and to be of “Service to All Mankind.”

Founders Original

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, on the campus of Howard University in Washington, DC. Our founders were among the fewer than 1,000 Negroes enrolled in higher education institutions in 1908, and the 25 women who received bachelor of arts degrees from Howard University between 1908 and 1911. Nine juniors and seniors constituted the founding members.

All Founders

  • Our History

    Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®  Founders Harriet Josephine Terry, Joanna Berry Shields, Margaret Flagg Holmes and Beulah Burke

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  • Regions

    Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® has ten regions.

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  • Quick Facts

    Insights into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® are historic and significant.

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FORMER PRESIDENTS Leaders

For more than 114 years, thirty women have passionately and ably assumed the mantles of sisterhood, leadership and service as national (and later, international) president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®.

Under their stewardship, the sorority has evolved from a sisterhood on the campus of Howard University to a global organization laser-focused on issues involving economics, education, social action, the environment, human rights, political activism and equity.

All Presidents

OUR SISTERS Family

QUICK FACTS Essentials

  • Founded

    January 15, 1908 at Howard University, Washington, D.C.

  • Incorporated

    January 29, 1913 in Washington, D.C.

  • Our Badge

    Green enameled ivy leaf embellished with a rim of pearls.

  • Motto

    “By Culture and By Merit”  

  • Symbol

    Ivy Leaf

  • Flower

    Pink Tea Rose

  • Colors

    Salmon Pink and Apple Green

  • Official Publication

    Ivy Leaf® magazine, first published in 1921

  • International President

    Danette Anthony Reed 2022 - 2026

  • Membership

    114,000 active members and more than 360,000 members initiated worldwide