[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 17]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      CENTENNIAL FOUNDING OF THE ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY, INC.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, this evening I rise to 
commemorate the centennial of the founding of Alpha Kappa Alpha 
Sorority, Inc., the first Greek-letter organization established by 
black college women in America. This prestigious organization, founded 
at Howard University by nine visionary women in 1908, at a period when 
Jim Crow laws flourished in the law books, knew the rigors of their 
journey during the early 1900s. The organization, which has grown to 
200,000 members in 975 chapters worldwide, includes an extraordinary 
collection of women, who now encompass diverse ethnicities and 
nationalities and are united by a bond of sisterhood and a commitment 
to service.
  As a member of the Alpha Kappa Omega Graduate Chapter of Alpha Kappa 
Alpha Sorority in Houston, Texas, I am proud to honor this historic 
milestone and welcome my sorors to the birthplace of Alpha Kappa Alpha 
at Howard University in Washington, DC. This evening, the sorority will 
conclude a 4-day salute that culminated in a gala week of tributes, 
salutes, and praise. Today, one hundred years ago, amazing sisterhood, 
the passion for humanitarian service, and the campaign for education 
brought nine ardent women together to form Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, 
Inc.
  Alpha Kappa Alpha was founded to touch lives, improve the stature of 
women and serve humankind. Its mission is to develop leaders, expand 
Alpha Kappa Alpha's economic achievements, and ensure that the Sorority 
is fully engaged in achieving its possible goals. Sojourner Truth once 
said, that ``If women want any rights more than [they've] got, why 
don't they just take them and not be talking about it.'' This quote 
embodies the spirit that the determined women of Alpha Kappa Alpha 
Sorority, Inc. exhibit in order to attain the long-awaited goals of 
freedom and equality.
  The sorority is ``home'' to college presidents, deans, directors of 
Fortune 500 companies, judges, mayors, Members of Congress, state 
legislatures, city councils, and school boards. This sorority has 
provided the foundation for intellectuals such as Sharon Pratt Kelly, 
the first woman to serve as mayor of Washington, DC, Angie Brookes, the 
first woman President of the United Nations, the long revered Rosa 
Parks, mother of the Civil Rights Movement, Azie Taylor Morton, the 
only African-American to hold the position of Treasurer of the United 
States, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Alpha Kappa Alpha women have 
served in the United States Armed Services and devoted their lives to 
saving ours. I salute those women today who are active or retired 
military personnel. They and women such as Lt. Col. Anita McMiller, 
Deputy Legislative Assistant to Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, are 
the sheroes that should be emulated by the next generation.
  AKA's have long referred to founder Ethel Hedgeman Lyle as the 
``guiding light,'' a figurative phrase that insists upon one's 
aptitude, resilience, unwavering service, and valor. President George 
W. Bush, in his address at the 55th Inauguration, stated that:

       Our nation relies on men and women who look after a 
     neighbor and surround the lost with love. Americans, at our 
     best, value the life we see in one another, and must always 
     remember that even the unwanted have worth.

  At a time when our Nation, in fact the world, has experienced 
unprecedented upheavals, Alpha Kappa Alpha has stayed the course of its 
mission and provided an anchor for scores of individuals and families 
by empowering communities through our committed service. A service that 
has endured 100 years because Barbara A. McKinzie, the Centennial 
International President, declares that it was built on bedrock of 
strength.
  I am proud to stand on the floor of the House tonight and pay tribute 
to this extraordinary organization, which has been helping our young 
women find the support, courage, and passion they need to become 
leaders in our society.

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