Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the first Greek-letter organization for African-American women, was founded on January 15, 1908 by nine young female Howard University students. They were led by the vision of Ethel Hedgeman (Lyle); she had spent several months sharing her idea with her friends. During this time, she was dating her future husband, George Lyle, a charter member of the Beta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha.
After choosing a name for their sorority, the nine women wrote a constitution and a motto. Additionally, they chose salmon pink and apple green as the sorority’s colors and ivy as its symbol. A group of seven sophomore women were invited to become members. They did not partake in an initiation ceremony and all 16 women are considered founders. The first “Ivy Week” took place in May 1909 and ivy was planted at Howard University’s Miner Hall. On January 29, 1913, Alpha Kappa Alpha was incorporated.
One of its prominent members was Anna J. Cooper, of the Xi Omega chapter. In 1884, she graduated from Oberlin College, one of the first institutions to enroll African American students. Before entering Oberlin she had been married and widowed. She taught and was principal of M Street High School in Washington, D.C. In 1924, at the age of 65, she earned a Ph.D. from the Sorbonne in Paris, France, after completing many of the credits at Columbia University in New York. Xi Omega hosted a reception for her on December 29, 1925, at Howard University, on the occasion of the degree presentation, since she had been unable to return to France for the festivities.
Cooper was a feminist who worked tirelessly to advance the status of African American women. She is known as the “Mother of Black Feminism.” She was the author of A Voice from the South, published in 1892. That year, she helped found the Colored Women’s League. She has been honored in many ways. There is a United States Postal Service stamp with her portrait on it. Wake Forest University has the Anna J. Cooper Center on Gender, Race, and Politics. The Episcopal Church (USA) has a feast day in her honor on its liturgical calendar. She died in 1964 at the age of 105.
