Title
Honoring and recognizing the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority for its dedication to sisterhood and service, in celebration of the sorority’s 110th Anniversary
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WHEREAS, The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is a national sisterhood founded in 1908 at Howard University, under the leadership of Ethel Hedgeman Lyle. Other founders included Anna Easter Brown, Beula Elizabeth Burke, Lillie Burke, Marjorie Hill, Margaret Flagg Holmes, Lavinia Norman, Lucy Diggs Slowe, and Marie Woolfork Taylor; and
WHEREAS, Founded by a group of young women who were conscious of their unique positions as college-educated women of color just decades removed from the horrific era of slavery, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority has remained dedicated to its motto, “Service to all Mankind,” since its founding days; and
WHEREAS, Since 1908, the sisterhood has grown from the founding nine members into an Organization of nearly 300,000 sorors at over 1,000 chapters worldwide. To this day, the sisterhood remains focused in its support of programs aimed at improving community health, education, and human rights, among other issues; and
WHEREAS, Among the many initiatives founded by the sisters of Alpha Kappa Alpha are several programs related to increasing educational access and attainment. The Educational Advancement Foundation, founded in 1980, is a tax-exempt branch of the sorority dedicated to providing “financial support to individuals and organizations engaged in lifelong learning.” Through EAF, Alpha Kappa Alpha has provided more than $200,000 in scholarships to 1,400 students nationwide; and
WHEREAS, From January 11th to the 15th, 2018, the sisters of Alpha Kappa Alpha gathered in Washington, D.C., at the campus of Howard University where their sisterhood was born, to celebrate the 110th Anniversary of the Organization’s founding. In their finest pink and green attire, thousands of AKA sorors united in the name of “Service to all Mankind”, and in celebration of the sisterhood’s remarkable history; and
WHEREAS, The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority is an organization that has dedicated itself to the highest ideals of sisterhood and community empowerment for more than one hundred years. The City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection is proud to join with AKA in celebration of its 110th National Founders’ Day; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Does hereby honor and recognize the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority for its dedication to sisterhood and service, in celebration of the sorority’s 110th Anniversary.
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