{"id":3007,"date":"2025-11-12T15:59:35","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T20:59:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/press\/?p=3007"},"modified":"2025-12-01T16:50:38","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T21:50:38","slug":"new-york-city-council-designates-january-15-annually-as-alpha-kappa-alpha-day-recognizing-historic-black-sorority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/press\/2025\/11\/12\/3007\/","title":{"rendered":"New York City Council Designates January 15 Annually as Alpha Kappa Alpha Day, Recognizing Historic Black Sorority"},"content":{"rendered":"

Resolution by AKA members, Speaker Adams and Majority Leader Far\u00edas, honors organization\u2019s long-lasting impact in communities<\/em> <\/p>\n

City Hall, NY<\/strong> \u2013 Today, the New York City Council designated January 15 annually as Alpha Kappa Alpha Day in New York City to recognize Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA). The designation was advanced by a resolution, sponsored by AKA members, Speaker Adrienne Adams and Majority Leader Amanda Far\u00edas, that honors the sorority\u2019s enduring commitment to service, scholarship, and positive impact on families and communities in New York City and across the world.  <\/p>\n

\u201cAs a Life Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, initiated at Spelman College, I am delighted to co-sponsor a resolution designating January 15th annually as Alpha Kappa Alpha Day in New York City,\u201d said Speaker Adrienne Adams<\/strong>. \u201cBeing a member of the first Sorority for college-educated Black women has been pivotal in shaping my path – particularly in becoming the first Black Speaker of the New York City Council, leading a historic first women-majority Council body. The tenets of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, have empowered my life\u2019s journey by breaking barriers and blazing trails, just it has for generations of women before me. I am profoundly honored to buttress the perpetual recognition of my historic Sisterhood.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is an honor to stand with Speaker Adrienne Adams\u2014my Sister in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated\u2014in co-sponsoring this resolution recognizing January 15th as Alpha Kappa Alpha Day in the City of New York,\u201d said Majority Leader Amanda Far\u00eda<\/strong>s. \u201cFor more than a century, Alpha Kappa Alpha has advanced educational access, civil rights, and community service through programs that change lives. Our members have established schools, registered voters, expanded access to healthcare, and mentored generations of women to lead with excellence. Here in New York City, Sisters organize annual service projects that support local shelters, award scholarships to high school students, and empower young women through mentorship and college readiness initiatives. Recognizing Alpha Kappa Alpha Day in the City of New York affirms the measurable and lasting impact of BIPOC women\u2019s leadership. As a proud member of this sisterhood, I am proud to see that legacy reflected in the heart of New York.\u201d <\/p>\n

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA) is an international service organization that was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1908. It is the first intercollegiate Greek-letter organization established by Black college-educated women. 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\u2019s degrees from Howard University between 1908 and 1911. AKA was founded on a mission of five basic tenets that have remained unchanged since the sorority\u2019s inception: to cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards; to promote unity and friendship among college women; to study and help alleviate problems concerning girls and women in order to improve their social stature; to maintain a progressive interest in college life; and to be of \u201cService to All Mankind.\u201d <\/p>\n

 In 1930, AKA became a founding member of the National Pan Hellenic Council, also known as the Divine Nine, which is the coordinating body of historically Black fraternities and sororities.   <\/p>\n

With its signature official colors of salmon pink and apple green, AKA currently has a membership of more than 390,000 women in more than 1,105 graduate and undergraduate chapters located in 14 nations and territories, including the United States, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Germany, Japan, Liberia, Nigeria, South Korea, United Kingdom and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Some notable AKA members include Dr. Maya Angelou, Coretta Scott-King, Rosa Parks, Toni Morrison, Ella Fitzgerald, Ava DuVernay, Mae Jemison, Phylicia Rashad, Cynthia Erivo, former United States Vice President Kamala Harris, and many more women who have made significant contributions in the fields of education, science, entertainment, civil rights, and government.  <\/p>\n

### <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Resolution by AKA members, Speaker Adams and Majority Leader Far\u00edas, honors organization\u2019s long-lasting impact in communities<\/em> <\/p>\n

City Hall, NY<\/strong> \u2013 Today, the New York City Council designated January 15 annually as Alpha Kappa Alpha Day in New York City to recognize Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA). The designation was advanced by a resolution, sponsored by AKA members, Speaker Adrienne Adams and Majority Leader Amanda Far\u00edas, that honors the sorority\u2019s enduring commitment to service, scholarship, and positive impact on families and communities in New York City and across the world.  <\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

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