Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. had a duel celebration on Monday. January 15 is the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority’s 116th founders’ day, which falls on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day this year.
The sorority was founded in 1908 on the campus of Howard University.
Members across the nation spent the special day celebrating the organization’s legacy while at the same time participating in their annual MLK Day of Service Projects.
The activity is in honor of King, who was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the oldest intercollegiate historically African American fraternity. His wife, Coretta Scott King, was an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha.
At a gathering at One World Trade Center on Monday, Mayor Eric Adams presented members of the sorority with a proclamation.
Chapters of the sorority joined together to volunteer and serve the community. Locally, members of Alpha Kappa Alpha’s Tau Omega Chapter in Harlem volunteered at the Canaan Senior Center where they distributed toiletries and clothing.
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In Brooklyn, members of Alpha Kappa Alpha’s Delta Rho Omega Chapter participated in a service project at Cornerstone Baptist Church by supporting the church’s food pantry.
Members of Alpha Kappa Alpha and Alpha Phi Alpha in Queens partnered with the Eastern Queens Alliance (EQA) for the unveiling of two benches for the EQA Community Peace Garden. The organizations also led an interactive discussion about King and participated in a community clean-up initiative.
The Eta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha in the Bronx held their MLK Day of Service event last Friday with at Barrio BX Restaurant where members participated in coat drive and karaoke night. The chapter took accepted coats, hats and scarves that will be donated to a migrant shelter in the Bronx.
On Sunday, Members of the sorority’s Alpha Beta Pi Omega Chapter in Staten Island held a community food giveaway.