New Leadership and team hits the ground running…

By Anastarcia Huyler

Nassau, Bahamas – Established on the campus of Howard University on January 15th 1908; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. (AKA) is the oldest Greek lettered organization founded for and by college educated women of color. Only one generation removed from slavery, the twenty founders, under the leadership of Ethel-Hedgeman Lyle, realized the importance of encouraging and motivating each other in an academic setting, and the critical need to provide service to the black community and to the world. 106 years later, their legacy lives on across college campuses and graduate chapters around the world.

To celebrate the legacy of the phenomenal women, whose movement later influenced the formation of the other Greek lettered organizations, the members of the Eta Psi Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. recently rededicated themselves to the spirits of sisterhood and service.

On Friday January 10th, the sorority sisters gathered together to commemorate those who had come before them in a casual and sisterly atmosphere. With four different generations of women present, including the members of the Tau Nu Undergraduate Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha (COB), the gathering allowed women to share stories and experiences over the years as Alpha Kappa Alpha women. Empowering and inspiring, the sorority sisters departed the member’s only event ready to take the mantle of AKA even further. Members would have the chance to do just that on Saturday, January 11th.

For the past five years, the Eta Psi Omega chapter has made health conscientiousness an integral part of the community work they do. This year, in celebration of founder’s day, and with health in mind they once again assisted Sunshine Insurance by packing bags for those participating in the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. President of the Eta Psi Omega Chapter, Ms. Alana Ingraham noted, “We’ve lost so many Bahamian women to cancer including some of our own sisters. We’ve also seen people survive, including our own sisters. Helping to pack bags for those people willing to walk for the cure is one of the ways we support victims of cancer and honour the legacies of those AKA’s who fought the battle.”