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Aukusi. 1984—National BLACK MONITOR
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A Close-Up Look At Black Community-Building Efforts
AKA to Assess Status of
Black Women in
Corporate America
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority has
embarked upon an ambitious project de
signed to gauge the degree to which
Black women are included on corporate
boards and in high level management
positions in major consumer-oriented
corporations, announced Faye B.
Bryant, national president.
The project is being done in alliance
with other Black organizations including
the Greek-letter organizations, National
Urban League,' NAACP, Operation
PUSH, National Council of Negro
Women and their affiliates and the
Southern Christian Leadership Con
ference (SCLC).
Declared the president of the
75,000-member sorority, “Our organiza
tion, allied with other Black organiza
tions, is vitally concerned about the lack
of inclusion of Black women on cor
porate boards and in high-level manage
ment positions, and the general lack of
responsiveness of major corporations to
requests of Black consumers and
organizations.”
The survey covers a wide range of
Black-related issues. The questions re
quire corporations to identify the
number of Black women on the board of
directors, in top management positions
and in middle and lower-level manage
ment positions. The questionnaire also
asks corporations to pinpoint programs
designed to create upward mobility op
portunities for Black women.
Other questions revolve around the
degree to which the corporations adver
tise in Black-owned media and whether
Blacks are utilized in advertisements.
The corporate commitment regarding
purchasing insurance through Black
owned companies and utilizing Black
owned professional service companies,
jiwWri.
Members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity from across the nation converged on Chicago, Il
linois to participate in the dedication ceremonies for Alpha Tower Apartments. General Presi
dent Ozell Sutton (center) handled the ribbon-cutting honors, flanked by Immediate Past
General President James R. Williams (left front) and Chicago Aiderman Timothy C. Evans
(right front). Also pictured are members of the boards of directors of Alpha Phi Alpha Frater
nity, inc. and Alpha Phi Alpha Building Foundation, Inc.
as well as the extent of corporate giving
and research grant giving to Black in
stitutions are also covered in this survey.
“Our task is to raise the consciousness
of Corporate America to a variety of
concerns that have an impact on Black
women in particular and Black America
in general,” emphasized Ms. Bryant.
“Through the results we will be able to
assess the severity of the schism between
Black women, Black America and Cor
porate America and move ultimately to
remedy these problems.”
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is
America’s first Greek-letter organization
established by and for Black women. In
existence since 1908, AKA boasts a
membership that includes 75,000 college
trained women in the United States and
abroad. It is involved in a host of
consciousness-raising initiatives. Compil
ing such a survey underscores their com
mitment to grapple with issues that
directly affect Black Americans.
Are you supporting your Congressional Black Caucus and other liberation efforts?
Alpha Tower Apartments
Dedicated
Since the early 60’s, Alpha Phi Alpha
Fraternity, Inc. has been committed to
lending the resources of its members in
the effort to provide decent and affor
dable housing to those in need. Projects
in St. Louis, Missouri, Toledo, Ohio and
Akron, Ohio offer more than 2,000 units
of housing to low-to-moderate income
residents in those areas. The recent
dedication ceremonies for the Alpha
Tower Apartments, 936 East 47th Street,
Chicago, Illinois marked a new direction
for the fraternity.
The 18-story, 149-unit “Alpha
Tower” is the first project under the
total sponsoring of the national frater
nity; the other Alpha projects involved
the local chapters.
The project is financed by a
guaranteed HUD mortgage under Sec-
tion 202 of the National Housing Act.
Erwin A. France, then of Palmer,
France, Green and King, Ltd., served as ,
general consultant for the development
and Lawrence E. Goosby of Goosby & !
Associates serves as project attorney;
both are members of the fraternity. The I
design architect (another member of the
fraternity), William T. Wallace of En
vironment Seven, Ltd., has insured that
the building meet the highest standards
for apartment buildings currently ap
plicable. This 18-story structure consists I
of 128 standard one-bedroom apart- i
ments and 13 one-bedroom units de
signed and equipped for the handicap
ped; with 6 standard two-bedroom units
and 2 two-bedroom apartments for the
handicapped.
Founded December 4, 1906, at Cor
nell University in Ithaca, New York,
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. is the
oldest and largest of the predominantly
Black Greek-letter college fraternities.
The seven Black students who founded v
the organization encountered many of
the problems of racism and discrimina
tion and they united, in the words of
Founder Henry A. Callis, for “social
purpose and social action.” To date,
Alpha Phi Alpha has initiated more than
75,000 members and established 650
chapters in 45 states, Africa, Europe,
Asia and the Caribbean.
Kappas Declare: Civil
Rights Director
Insensitive Toward
Blacks and Minorities
The Grand Board of Directors of Kap
pa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. has for
warded to President Ronald Reagan a
resolution regarding the misrepresen
tative statements made toward Blacks by
Linda Chavez, director of the United
States Commission on Civil Rights, ac
cording to Grand Polemarch Robert L.
Gordon.
Ms. Chavez, the staff director of the
(Continued on page 7.)