We all stood in the union courtyard waiting anxiously. Some to see the girls they had previously known cross over into women, others just out of curiosity. The women in pink approached powerfully, no longer lost girls but women of substance and class. “It’s a serious matter,” they chanted. That it is. The Zeta Omicron chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha has been suspended for some time and with their comeback, all nine organizations of the National Pan-Hellenic Council are on Florida State’s campus. Not only is it important for our Greek legacy at this school, but it’s also important in the preservation of African American history and the impact it has made for Greek life overall.
Nine trailblazing women founded Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated in 1908 at Howard University. Its founders were among the fewer than 1,000 black students enrolled in higher education institutions in 1908 and the 25 women who received Bachelor of Arts degrees from Howard University between 1908 and 1911. Nine juniors and seniors who constituted the initial core group of founding members and seven sophomores who were extended an invitation for membership without initiation, comprised what are acknowledged as Alpha Kappa Alpha’s original 16 founders. Led by Ethel Hedgeman (Lyle), the nine Howard University students who came together to form Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority were the scholastic leaders of their classes. Consisting of college-educated women of many diverse backgrounds from around the world, including, but not limited to, African, Caucasian, Asian, Native American, Hispanic and Indian descent, the sorority serves through a membership of more than 250,000 women in over 900 chapters in the United States and several other countries.
The legacy they left has not only stayed with women across the nation but also led to the development of several other sororities for Black, Latina and Asian women. The Florida State University Chapter was founded on June 5th, 1971 and has won multiple awards. Their existence on campus provides both professional and personal growth for many women of color. The women that stood in the courtyard of our very union symbolize not just the sisterhood that can be found in college, but also the hard work of the women that came before them. They have a lifetime of sisterhood ahead of them filled with memories and love but they also have a responsibility to better their school, their community and grow in excellence as their founders once did. Her Campus extends their warmest congratulations to the new members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated and we’re excited to see what all of you 54 women unified as one have to offer in the advancement of Florida State University.