These are famous women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. you should know, but… first, the backstory on what it means for these famous AKAs.
If anything, Black women are everything… literally. For centuries, their excellence has been unraveling before the world in more ways than one. From breaking societal barriers to building businesses for generational wealth, they’ve innovatively created magic far beyond the books.
Particularly, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. is the epitome of the greatness that African-American women have done historically, showing us that there is strength in numbers. A true depiction of brilliance personified, the esteemed, Greek-letter organization has been known for merging poise with power for decades.
It is recognized as the first intercollegiate, lady-led group for African Americans.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. was founded by Black women in 1908.
Spearheaded by then-student Ethel Hedgemon Lyle, the visionary, along with Anna Easter Brown, Beulah Burke, Lillie Burke, Marjorie Hill, Margaret Flagg Holmes, Lavinia Norman, Lucy Diggs Slow, and Marie Woolfolk Taylor, originally formed Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (also known as AKA) at Howard University (Washington, D.C.) in 1908.
Per their website, Lyle was the principal founder, with the other individuals helping officially establish the now-international movement. According to the committee, to date, AKA holds 360,000+ initiated sisters (graduate + undergraduate) across the globe (United States, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Japan, Liberia, Nigeria, South Korea, South Africa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands).
Reportedly, Lyle grew inspired after hearing the stories of a Howard faculty member who was part of a sorority at Brown University and started recruiting her classmates in 1907. Now run by International President and CEO Danette Anthony Reed, AKA strives for the social and educational betterment of girls and women.
A List of Famous AKAs You Should Know
Kamala Harris
Aside from being the first Black-and-female vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris has had many other boss achievements. The now-presidential candidate received a political science and economics degree from Howard University in 1986. During her time there, she became an AKA.
Lynn Whitfield
Following in her mother’s footsteps, Emmy-winning actress Lynn Whitfield is an AKA. Whitfield earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Howard University. However, it appears that her honorary pink-and-green stripes came later. The 71-year-old celebrated her membership in a 2022 Ivy Leaf Magazine digital issue.
Phylicia Rashad
The Cosby Show icon Phylicia Rashad (main image) graduated Magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Howard University in 1970. Per reports, she was initiated into the Alpha Chapter of AKA while at the college. Decades later, she would become the dean of Howard University’s Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts in 2021. Unfortunately, the Houston native announced last year that she would be stepping down from the position.
Jada Pinkett Smith
Jada Pinkett Smith attended the Baltimore School for the Arts for acting and dance. The Jason’s Lyric actress graduated in 1989. Reportedly, she then went on to spend a year at the University of North Carolina School of Arts but dropped out to pursue her dreams. Smith is also an honorary AKA member.
Yolanda Adams
Yolanda Adams graduated from Texas Southern University in her hometown, Houston, Texas. After receiving her degree, she entered a school-teaching career, but little did she know… she would later find global success as a Gospel songstress. In 2018, AKA honorarily initiated Yolanda Adams into AKA.
Brandy Norwood
Celebrated singer/actress Brandy Norwood is rumored to have attended Pepperdine University in 1996 at the height of her worldwide stardom. Allegedly, she majored in psychology and music. Years later, she would be inducted into AKA in 2014. The move was honorary and mirrored her mother, Sonja, who became an AKA in college.
Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernay double majored in English literature and African-American studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. The award-winning filmmaker/producer was granted an honorary spot as an AKA in 2014. In 2021, she received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Yale University.
Loretta Devine
Hollywood heavy-hitter Loretta Devine graduated from the University of Houston in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Drama. She also has a Master of Fine Arts in Theater (1976) from Brandeis University in Massachusetts. While at the University of Houston, the Waiting to Exhale legend crossed through the Epsilon Lambda Chapter of AKA.
Gladys Knight
Grammy winner Gladys Knight is a graduate of Shaw University, one of the oldest HBCUs in the nation. She holds a Bachelor’s degree and an honorary doctorate from the school. The multi-Grammy winner became an honorary AKA member in 1984.
Erica Campbell
Fresh out of Inglewood High, Erica Campbell reportedly attended Los Angeles City College, majoring in drama and minoring in music. Last January, the Gospel phenomenon announced that she’d joined AKA as an honorary member.
“Thank you to everyone who [has] welcomed me into this amazing sisterhood and Divine 9,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “I am excited to do my part in continuing the mission of being of service to all mankind!”
Other fallen figures of AKA include Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King, Roxie Roker, Donda West, and Ella Fitzgerald.
Which of these ladies on the Famous Women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority did you NOT know of? Let us know in the comments below!
Originally posted August 7, 2024.
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