[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 16]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        100-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY, INC.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WATSON. Today, Madam Speaker, January 15, 2008, is an auspicious 
day for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, as it celebrates its 
100th birthday anniversary. Founded in 1908 on the campus of Howard 
University in Washington, DC, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is the first 
Greek-letter organization founded by African American college women. 
Alpha Kappa Alpha is a sisterhood of women who have consciously chosen 
to improve the socioeconomic conditions in their city, State, Nation, 
and the world.
  Its history tells a story of changing patterns of human relations in 
America in the 20th century. The small group who organized the sorority 
was just one generation removed from slavery. The sorority has directed 
its efforts toward improving the quality of life for all mankind while 
living the sorority motto: By culture and by merit.
  I am proud to count myself as a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha 
Sorority; and throughout the years I have witnessed firsthand how the 
power, vision, and commitment of our founders and members have inspired 
AKA to endure and prosper through 10 decades. Our membership includes 
high-profile women from all walks of life and from all disciplines, 
including the astronaut and physician Dr. Mae Jemison, poet Maya 
Angelou, actress Phylicia Rashad, entertainer Gladys Knight, 
entrepreneur Suzanne de Passe, U.K. member of Parliament Diane Abbot, 
performing artist Alicia Keys, Indira Gandhi, and a host of other 
regional, national, and international political leaders. My colleagues 
Sheila Jackson-Lee and Eddie Bernice Johnson, also retired 
Congresswoman Eva Clayton, and the late Juanita Millender-McDonald are 
sorors, too.
  Alpha Kappa Alpha led the way with such programs as Vocational 
Guidance, Foreign Fellowship, the Mississippi Health Project, Health 
Programs, Nonpartisan Council, the American Council on Human Rights, 
Sickle Cell Anemia, Job Corps, the purchase of Martin Luther King's 
birthplace, the establishment of Educational Advancement Foundation, 
and the African Village Development Program, among a few.
  The AKAs have always understood that the world's greatest asset is 
its youth, and developed several integral programs in an effort to 
increase their opportunities. These programs include PIMS, or 
Partnership in Mathematics and Science; ON TRACK: Organizing Nurturing, 
Team-building, Respecting, Achieving, Counseling, and Knowing; Ivy 
AKAdemy; and the Young Authors Program.
  Inspired by the vision, Celebrating Our Past, Serving Our Community, 
Honoring Our Sisterhood, women from around the world have gathered in 
our Nation's Capital today to honor this anniversary, celebrate our 
achievements, and resolve to build on the legacy of our founders by 
strengthening our commitment. Today, the sorority donated $1 million to 
Howard University and $10,000 to the Andrew Rankin Chapel.
  On July 10-11, 2008, the AKAs, under the astute leadership of Dr. 
Barbara A. McKinzie, Centennial International president, will host its 
Centennial Boule here in the United States Capital, the sorority's 
birthplace. More than 20,000 members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority will 
tell the Nation and the world the story of 20 women who started a 
movement which advanced a people and changed the course of history.
  And I ask all of you to join me in acknowledging this great milestone 
as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority embarks on its second century of service, 
the bedrock of our sorority, and excellence. It was true in 1908 and it 
is true today.

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