HERSTORY
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National
History
In 1908, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority became America's first Greek-letter
organization established by Black college women. Her roots date back to
Howard University, Washington, D.C., where the idea for formation was
conceived by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle of St. Louis, Missouri. She viewed the
Sorority as an instrument for enriching the social and intellectual aspects
of college life by providing mental stimulation through interaction with
friends and associates. Through the years, however, Alpha Kappa Alpha's
function has become more complex. After her incorporation as a perpetual
body in 1913, Alpha Kappa Alpha gradually branched out and became the
channel through which selected college-trained women improved the socioeconomic
conditions in their city, state, nation, and the world.
In a world in which materialism is
pervasive, and technology and competition have decreased the need for
collaboration and cooperation, it is critical to have an association that
cuts across racial, international, physical, and social barriers to help
individuals and communities develop and maintain constructive relationships
with others. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is that vital organization.
Alpha Kappa Alpha is a sisterhood
composed of women who have consciously chosen this affiliation as a means
of self-fulfillment through volunteer service. Alpha Kappa Alpha cultivates
and encourages high scholastic and ethical standards; promotes unity and
friendship among college women; alleviates problems concerning girls and
women; maintains a progressive interest in college life; and serves all
mankind through a nucleus of more than 170,000 women in the United States,
the Caribbean, Europe, and Africa.
Delta
Gamma History
The Delta Gamma chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. was founded
on the campus of the Pennsylvania State
University in State College, PA on March 14, 1953. It was the first
Black sorority chartered on Penn State's campus.
The charter members:
Audrey Austin
Ethel Brown
Yvonne Carter
Nadine Howard
Anna Layton
Joan McLane
Charlotte Page
Bettye Phillips
Joan Ripley
Delores Wilson
