Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Records

Collection

Identifier: ARL177

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of manuscript items, ephemera, scrapbooks, published works, correspondence, organization items, and photographs. The items were created by members of Alpha Kappa Alpha and the organization itself. They cover Alpha Kappa Alpha as a national organization, the Epsilon Nu Omega Chapter, and the creation of the Mu Omega Omega Chapter. There are also more specific boxes relating to members who were involved in the organization.

Dates

1900-2019

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Copyright

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from material in the collection should be discussed with the appropriate librarian or archivist. Permission for publication may be given on behalf of the Denver Public Library as the owner of the physical item. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained by the customer. The Library does not assume any responsibility for infringement of copyright or publication rights of the manuscript held by the writer, heirs, donors, or executors. Reproduction restrictions are decided on a case-by-case basis.

Biographical / Historical

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (AKA) was established on January 15, 1908 out of Howard University's Miner Hall in Washington, D.C. Ethel Hedgemon Lyle was one of the founding members, along with eight other collegiate women. They wanted to create a support network for women in universities. Alpha Kappa Alpha was the first Negro Greek-letter sorority and was officially incorporated by Nellie Quander in the District of Columbia. Their official colors, salmon pink and apple green, embody the ideals of merit and culture. AKA's official headquarters is in Chicago, Illinois. By 1921 ten undergraduate chapters had been established. The Ivy Leaf is AKA's quarterly journal and archiving record and was established in 1921. In 1947 AKA worked with other Greek organizations to help form the American Council on Human Rights (ACHR). The Sorority has long been invovled in philanthorpic endeavors aimed at funding research and through program endowments and by supporting Black businesses. The group is also heavily involved in the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and created the Alpha Kappa Alpha Educational Advancement Foundation in 1980. The group has also focus on AIDS in the African-American community and continued to promote furthering education through the Emerging Young Leaders Program estbalished in 2010. The organization has grown and has established chapters across the United States and the world with chapters in ten different regions, primarily in the United States. THere are over 900 chapters across the world. The Epsilon Nu Omega Chapter is the Denver Chapter is part of the Mid-Western Region and has hosted multiple events and meetups in the State. The ENO Chapter was chartered on October 22, 1949 and was the first graduate chapter in Colorado. The first Alpha Kappa Alpha Chapter was established on the Unviersity of Northern Colorado campus in November 1929.