On Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015, Southwestern welcomed Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the oldest Greek-letter organization founded by African American college-trained women. A celebratory luncheon followed with Georgetown Mayor Dale Ross, President Burger, members of AKA from around the region and Georgetown community members. During the luncheon, a proclamation was read declaring Nov. 15, 2015, as “AKA Day” in Georgetown.

Dr. Alicia Moore, Cargill Endowed Professor in the Department of Education at Southwestern, was instrumental in bringing AKA to Southwestern’s campus. She  will serve as the chapter’s faculty advisor.  

“Southwestern University has remained true to its goal of fostering activism, especially in student-led organizations with goals of servant leadership,” Moore said. “Alpha Kappa Alpha’s history and values mirror those of the sororities already established on campus: friendship, finer womanhood, high ethical and moral standards, leadership capacity-building and the pursuit of intellectual growth and academic achievement.”

AKA was founded on Jan. 15, 1908 by nine college students on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. Since the sorority’s inception, it has flourished into a multicultural organization of more than 283,000 members. 

As the organization continues to grow, it maintains its focus in two key areas—the lifelong personal and professional development of its members, and galvanizing its membership into an organization of respected power and influence, consistently at the forefront of effective advocacy and social change that results in equality and equity for all citizens of the world. The Upsilon Alpha chapter has 12 current members and is sponsored by the Beta Psi Omega Graduate Chapter in Austin.