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Throughout Atlanta, January 12 - 18 was a time for celebrating the birth of slain
civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. For some on Spelman f s campus,
that week was a time for celebrating the birth of sisterhood through their service
organizations. Here, members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; AST - African
Sisterhood; and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. share their celebrations.
Illustration by Tiffany LeBlanc
By Elyce Strong
January 15! To some, it is just a
date. To others, it is the birth of an
exceptional man, Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. But to over 120,000 women
worldwide, when put with the year
1908, it is the birth of an exceptional
sorority.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.,
the first African-American Greek-letter
organization for women, was molded
on the campus of Howard University.
Ethel Hedgeman Lyle, along with eight
other women, formed a sorority with
goals that included the continual
building of the concept of sisterhood,
fulfillment of the individual member,
and service to the community.
Seven members of the sophomore
class who possessed the desired
qualifications of seriousness,
studiousness-, and responsibility were
approached to join the sorority. These
are the sixteen women that the
members of Alpha Kappa Alpha
Sorority, Inc. honor so greatly each
January and call their founders.
Mu Pi Chapter of Alpha Kappa
Alpha Sorority, Inc. was chartered on
Spelman College’s campus on February
10, 1979. Some of the activities that
the women of this chapter have
accomplished this school year are: an
ice cream social welcoming back the
AUC community and congratulating
Sharmell Sullivan for winning the title
of Miss Black America, the AIDS
walk, the hunger walk, an emergency
telephone list distributed to all Spelman
students every year, and forums on
such topics as AUC unity, Spelman
security, graduate school entrance
exams, and immersion schools.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
also made 5 donation to the homeless
through AST Sisterhood, Inc., and a
donation to Sickle Cell Anemia through
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.;
participated in the Black Family
Reunion, where they won $250 that
was donated to the National Council of
Negro Women; volunteered for Hands
On Atlanta; fasted on World Hunger
Day; and marched in the Martin Luther
King Day Parade.
Additionally, the chapter serves the
community every month at the Atlanta
Food Bank, the Emmaus House, and
the Samuel C. Jones Boys and Girls
Club. These have been continuous
projects for many years.
The chapter’s newsletter, the "Mu Pi
Messenger," has been published for
many years and is distributed many
times during the year to update the
Spelman community on various
projects along with the members’
accomplishments.
Mu Pi Chapter of Alpha Kappa
Alpha Sorority, Inc. began a week of
Founder’s Day celebrations on Sunday,
January 12 with a chapel service in
Sisters Chapel. Rev. Joy Browne, a
member of Alpha Kappa Alpha
Sorority, Inc. gave the sermon.
Monday, the chapter sponsored a
forum in the Quarles Library in Giles
Hall.
"January 15 marked a very
important day in history, in addition to
the founding of Alpha Kappa Alpha.
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr.’s birthday, a forum entitled ‘Non-
Violent Social Change: Is It Still
Effective?’ was held in light of the
ideals Dr. King expressed in the 60’s,"
said Tressa Scineaux, the chairperson
of Founder’s Week.
The forum panelists were Dr.
Jeanne Meadows, who is a member of
the sorority, and Kaboi Simpson, who
is a member of KMT at Morehouse
College.
A sisterhood social was held in the
Alma Upshaw Dining Hall on Tuesday.
Wednesday, January 15, the
members of Alpha Kappa Alpha
Sorority, Inc. wore cream all day in
celebration of their Founder’s Day. It
was particularly special for them,
according to many members, because it
was a Wednesday back in 1908 when
the sorority was formed.
Health packets containing
information on breast cancer and other
health issues were distributed in Upper
Manley on Thursday.
"Health packets were distributed
because one of the six targets for
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. is
‘Addressing Health Concerns,’" said
Amy Espy, a member of the Founder’s
Day Committee.
Friday, "Revelations 58," the spring
’91 line, dedicated a bench to Mu Pi
Chapter. The Alpha Kappa Alpha
shield was painted on the wooden
bench, with 1979 and 1908 on both
sides of it.
The week ended Saturday with a
private wine sip for Alpha Kappa
Alpha members and their guests.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. is
an organization based on sisterhood
and service to all mankind. The week
celebrating the inception of this
esteemed organization was a tribute to
the 16 courageous women who set out
to form an organization exclusively
geared toward the growth - both
personal and collective - of Black
college women.
In the words of the Alpha Kappa
Alpha National Hymn, "We help each
other, for we know there’s no other,
like our sisterhood, Alpha Kappa
Alpha."