Exquisite and excelling

Alpha Kappa Alpha celebrates 50 years at UGA

Allison Mawn

Six granite pillars stand in the heart of the University of Georgia’s campus. Emblazoned on their fronts are the crests of sororities and fraternities — members of the Divine Nine, as they have come to be known.

In a space where Black individuals have not always been respected, much less celebrated, these monuments stand resolutely, just like the tenacious students who created spaces where they could feel safe and understood over the past 62 years.

Since UGA’s integration in 1961, Black students have fought to make spaces for themselves on campus and in the community. Today, one of the most prominent spaces on campus for celebrating Black identities is in a sorority.

This year, the Eta Xi chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated is celebrating its 50th year of striving for excellence in service, sisterhood and scholarship at UGA.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated was founded Jan. 15, 1908 at Howard University, a historically Black university. It is the “oldest Greek-letter Organization founded by African American college-educated women,” according to the group’s official website.

On Jan. 13, 1973, 14 women founded the Exquisite Eta Xi chapter at UGA. Those women were Yvonne Anderson Gaither, Barbara Ann Brown Banks, Brucie Delories Brown, Edna Mae Davis Butts, Natalia Elizabeth Dicks, Sylvia Cassandra Evans Woodruff, Gail Delores Sinkfield Johnson, Andrea Thompkins Jordan, Armi Gene Louis, Jackie Mobley, Connie Lajune Sagers Williamson, Sandra Burdette Stephens Farley, Patricia Thornton Binion and Lizzie Bell Williams Farley.

“Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated is not only just a sorority, it’s literally a movement,” Christel Vivor, junior Management Information Systems major and chapter membership chair and historian, said.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated is part of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, also known as the Divine Nine. NPHC focuses on fostering “brotherhood and sisterhood in the pursuit to bring about social change” and creating spaces for Black college students, according to their website. Having these communities can help Black students not feel isolated and allow them to find a home on campus, according to Sanders.

“To me, it just means having a home base of people that you can relate to because of their ambition and their passion for serving others,” Sanders said.

Although it was built upon a legacy of trailblazing women, the sorority’s path has not always been an easy one.

UGA is a primarily white institution, or PWI. Groups like the NPHC seek to help students of color find a sense of belonging on campus, since they may not always feel represented in other areas back the nostalgia of elementary school field day games.

From its humble but powerful beginnings, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated has grown into an international organization with more than 355,000 initiated members across the country and the world, with nearly 115,000 being active members. Recently, the organization has received increased recognition due to one of its members, Kamala Harris, rising to the office of Vice President of the United States.

On a more local level, many UGA students will recognize the name of another member — Mary Frances Early. She is not a member of the Eta Xi chapter, but has interacted with them during and since her time at UGA. Early became a member of the Alpha Pi chapter while she was an undergraduate at Clark Atlanta University.

According to their website, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated has five tenets that originated at the sorority’s inception: to cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards, to promote unity and friendship among college women, to study and help alleviate problems concerning girls and women to improve their social stature, to maintain a progressive interest in college life and to be of service to all mankind.

Like other sororities, service and sisterhood are fundamental pillars of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. The Eta Xi chapter works to build relationships with organizations in the community that they serve, Sanders said.

The Eta Xi chapter prioritizes sisterhood through sisterly relations activities, which Sanders described as time set aside specifically “to interact with one another on an intentional level.” But sisterhood goes beyond that for chapter members. They consistently show up to support each other in activities beyond the sorority, which Sanders said helps establish community.

Stepping is a significant part of how the Eta Xi chapter lives out their sisterhood and is a major component of the entire NPHC community. Sanders described it as “a rhythmic way of telling a story.” Steppers move in sync and use their bodies to create sound.

FAMOUS ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA MEMBERS:

X Mary Frances Early; first African American to graduate from UGA, namesake of College of Education

X Kamala Harris; first Black and first female Vice President of the United States of America, formerly U.S. senator from California

X Wanda Sykes; comedian and actress

X Toni Morrison; critically acclaimed novelist

X Althea Gibson; tennis player, first African American to win a Grand Slam title

The Eta Xi chapter uses stepping as a through-line to connect with their history, passing their skills and stories down from one generation to the next. Different stepping shows have different themes, allowing the Eta Xi chapter to add parts of their history to the story with each performance. Stepping is also another show of the chapter’s dedication to excellence; they have a history of winning for step teams.

The Eta Xi chapter currently has 25 members. They use the title “Exquisite” to hold themselves to the standard of greatness that has been passed down through their legacy, according to junior marketing and international business major and chapter president Lauryn Sanders.

“By saying that, it requires us to hold ourselves to a certain level of excellence. And that means commitment in the classroom, continually increasing our grades every semester, because those do impact the amount of programming we’re able to do on campus and the times that we do them,” Sanders said.

Sororities have more than 100 years of history at UGA and have become a ubiquitous part of campus life. The Eta Xi chapter has a relatively short history compared to some other chapters around campus. Sanders noted that, since desegregation didn’t occur at UGA until 1961, they “had some catching up to do.”

Despite the shorter history and smaller population, the chapter has made strides to establish itself as a force to be reckoned with through its impact on the community.

The international administration has six initiatives under the theme “Soaring to Greater Heights of Service and Sisterhood.” These initiatives are the focus of Skee Week, the Eta Xi chapter’s signature programming week. Skee Week, which took place from Jan. 16-20 this year, includes five programs dedicated to educating attendees on topics they might not be learning in the classroom.

This year’s Skee Week included serving at the Joy Village School, a private K-8 school focusing on uplifting Black youth and whose curriculum is based in Black history. Members cleaned facilities and organized library books. The week also contained an entrepreneurship panel, a sustainability workshop with University Housing, creating dog toys for the Athens Area Humane Society and a conversation on mental health and battling imposter syndrome.

Pink Ice Ball and Old Skool Field Day are two signature annual events of the Eta Xi chapter. Proceeds from these events go toward local organizations that align with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated’s values, according to Sanders. Pink Ice Ball is a chance for members to dress up and embrace their beauty, while Old Skool Field Day brings

In 2022, the Eta Xi chapter received awards for Academic Achievement, Outstanding Health & Wellness Programming, Outstanding Service and National Pan-Hellenic Council Chapter of the Year at UGA’s Greek Life Awards, according to its website. Sanders said these awards reflect the effort the chapter makes toward excelling in academics and service, which is part of what the chapter is celebrating during their 50th anniversary.

Recently, the chapter celebrated its anniversary with a Charter Day social. Yvonne Anderson Gaither, one of the original Eta Xi chapter members, attended, showing that the connection between alumni and current undergraduate members is still strong.

Becoming a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated is a lifelong commitment. The sisterhood lasts beyond graduation and across chapters.

“I would say I didn’t really know the true value of sisterhood before coming to college,” Vivor said. “Joining Eta Xi, I’ve met some of my future bridesmaids.”

As graduate advisor, Anissa Johnson helps mentor new members and instill the pillar of sisterhood, service and scholarship as lifelong principles.

“We want to make sure that our principles and our foundation, our founding principles, are lasting beyond us and we want to pass those on to generations beyond us,” Johnson said.