Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated History

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated began as vision of nine college students on the campus of Howard University. The sorority has grown into a union of thousands of college-trained women who are bound by a powerful mystique, a real moving factor in the lives of students in more than four hundred institutions of higher learning; it is one of the most solvent corporations in the world today.

As Alpha Kappa Alpha has grown, it has kept in balance two very important themes: the importance of the individual and strength of an organization of women of courage and ability. As the world became more complex, there was a need for associations which cut across racial, geographical, political, physical and social barriers.

The small group of women who organized the Sorority was conscious of a privileged position as college-trained women of color, just one generation removed from slavery. They were resolute that their college experiences should be as meaningful and productive as possible. Alpha Kappa Alpha was founded to apply that determination; however, its influence extends beyond campus quads and student interest. It has a legacy of service that deepens, rather than ends, with college graduation.

The goals of its program activities center on significant issues in families, communities, government halls and world assembly chambers. Its efforts constitute a priceless part of the global experience in the 21st century.

Since its founding over a century ago, Alpha Kappa Alpha’s mission has been 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.”