CULTURED IN SERVICE TO ALL MANKIND
A Brief History of Alpha Kappa Alpha's Founders
On January 15, 1908 at Howard University in Washington, D.C., nine young ladies came together to start a sorority that would pioneer the advocacy of service, sisterhood, and high standards for African-American women. Shortly thereafter, seven sophomores were admitted into the sorority to continue the organization's legacy on Howard's campus in the years to come.
When the sorority was incorporated in 1913, the idea of everlasting excellence resonated in the promulgation of core ethical values through service and consciousness of issues that affected African-Americans living in the early twentieth century. Under the motto, "Service to All Mankind," the ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha have positively impacted several lives while promoting the pursuit of success in college.

Deemed "The Twenty Pearls," the founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated ® have established a legacy that has impacted over 250,000 women worldwide for 114 continuous years.
OUR PURPOSE
The purpose of Alpha Kappa Alpha is 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 service to all mankind.
The Founders
​Ethel Hedgeman Lyle
Lucy Slowe
Lillie Burke
Beulah Burke
Marjorie Hill
Margaret Flagg Homes
Anna Easter Brown
Lavinia Norman
Marie Woolfolk Taylor

The Sophomores
Norma Boyd
Ethel Jones Mowbray
Joanna Berry Shields
Sarah Merriweather Nutter
Alice Murray
Carrie Snowden
Harriet Terry
The Incorporators
Nellie Quander​
Nellie Pratt Russell​
Minnie Smith​
Julia Brooks​
Norma Boyd​
Ethel Jones Mowbray