[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5881]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          SOUTH ATLANTIC REGION OF ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FREDERICA S. WILSON

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 26, 2012

  Ms. WILSON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise with pride and exuberance 
to mark my return to Greenville, SC, home to my very first regional 
conference as the 11th South Atlantic Regional Director in 1987.
  In March of 1987, more than 1,300 sorors from Florida, Georgia, and 
South Carolina convened in Greenville, South Carolina for the South 
Atlantic Regional Conference. We captured the attention of both State 
and local dignitaries, including Lt. Governor of South Carolina, the 
Mayor of Laurens, South Carolina, and were presented ``Keys to the 
City'' by the Mayor of Greenville William Workman. Former Supreme 
Basileus Janet Ballard and many members of the Directorate were in 
attendance. The conference theme was ``Service with a Global 
Perspective'' and it was planned and coordinated by Soror Charlotte 
Walker and Soror Xanthene Norris, Cluster VIII coordinator. When the 
conference concluded on March 22, 1987, we returned to our respective 
homes renewed in our bonds of sisterhood.
  Two decades laters, the South Atlantic Region of Alpha Kappa Alpha 
Sorority, Inc., continues to blaze trails and stands largest of the ten 
Alpha Kappa Alpha regions with more than 10,000 members strong. Our 
region is home to two former Basilei, Soror Mary Shy Scott, and Soror 
Norma Solomon White. Currently leading our esteemed sisterhood is our 
own, Soror Carolyn House Stewart, the 28th Supreme Basileus of Alpha 
Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
  It is my pleasure to pay tribute to each of my Sorors of the South 
Atlantic Region as we gather for our 59th annual conference, under the 
leadership of our Regional Director, Soror Marsha Lewis Brown. There is 
no other place I would rather call home. My pride is showing.

                          ____________________