International History

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, founded on the campus of Howard University in 1908, is the oldest Greek letter sorority established by Black women. The twenty visionary founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha sought to create a sorority that would cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards, promote unity and friendship among college women, study and help alleviate the problems concerning girls and women, maintain a progressive interest in college life, and to be of service to all mankind. Since her conception in 1908, Alpha Kappa Alpha has been dedicated to the pure fundamentals of Service to All Mankind.
Our illustrious sisterhood has grown tremendously since 1908 to become a world leader in change, innovation, and ingenuity. Through our various programming, from the Mississippi Health Project to the Ivy Reading AKAdemy, Alpha Kappa Alpha has always worked to address the needs of the African American community first and foremost, while continuing to improve the global community at large. From humble but promising beginnings at Howard University in 1908, Alpha Kappa Alpha has blossomed into an incredible global force with membership exceeding national boundaries from Liberia to South Korea.
As the first historically Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha has served as a venue to support and encourage intelligent, creative, and compassionate women. It has been successful in creating an ever-growing dynamic and vast network of phenomenal women who embody the organizations’ ideals in their careers and every day lives. It is this spirit channeled by our twenty founders that continues to live within each member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. The women of Alpha Kappa Alpha hold prominent positions in the highest levels of education, art, law, medicine, politics, finance, in addition to many other professional capacities. Alpha Kappa Alpha Women continue to be models of leadership while anticipating the needs of not only their professional organizations, but also the sustainability of Alpha Kappa Alpha to carry her into generations to come.
The Original Group: Marjorie Hill, Lucy D. Slowe, Lillie Burke, Ethel Hedgemon Lyle, Anna E. Brown, Marie Woolfolk Taylor, Beulah E. Burke, Margaret Flagg Holmes and Lavinia Norman
The Sophomores of 1908: Norma Boyd, Ethel J. Mowbray, Alice P. Murray, Sarah M. Nutter, Joanna B. Shields, Carrie E. Snowden, and Harriett J. Terry
The Incorporators: Norma Boyd, Julia E. Brooks, Ethel Jones Mowbray, Nellie M. Quander, Nellie Pratt Russell, and Minnie B. Smith