The Birmingham Times
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Omicron Omega Chapter recently celebrated 95 years of service in the Birmingham community at Sixth Avenue Baptist Church, 1101 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive SW.
The sorority celebrated nearly a century of implementing programs of service that enhance the social, economic and educational well-being of the Birmingham community.
The group also presented awards to a number of community partners including the United Negro College Fund (UNCF); National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Miles College.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated is the first African-American Greek-letter organization that was founded at Howard University in 1908. There are over 300,000 initiated domestic and international members.
The International Program, Exemplifying Excellence Through Sustainable Service, includes five program targets that are designed to advance the mission of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated with excellence that underscores a commitment to sustainable service. These include fostering support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Women’s Healthcare and Wellness, Building your Economic Legacy, The Arts and Global Impact.
Omicron Omega is the 15th chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the first graduate chapter to be chartered in the South Eastern Region. Mrs. Hilda Evans of Atlanta, Georgia, who was Southeastern Regional Director, initiated the following college graduate women in Birmingham, before a Chapter could be established.
Those initiated were: Vivian F. Bell, a graduate of Knoxville College and Jessie Coleman, Wilma Davis, Mabel Harris, Eunice Hudson and Thelma Kingsley – all graduates of Talladega College. These seven young women joined Vernona Pierce, who was initiated into Alpha Chapter at Howard University and was the only Alpha Kappa Alpha woman in Birmingham, thus becoming the first Sorority members, not only in the city of Birmingham, but in the state of Alabama.
Omicron Omega Chapter sponsors and mentors three undergraduate chapters, Gamma Pi (Miles College), Iota Phi (University of Alabama at Birmingham) and Omicron Mu (Samford University). The Cultural and Education Advancement Foundation, Incorporated (CEAF) was established in 2000 by members of the Omicron Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Sorority, Inc., as its philanthropic arm.
In 2019, scholarships totaling almost $30,000 were awarded to deserving high school students in the Birmingham area. The Foundation 1) engages in community outreach and 2) strives to enhance the quality of life for individuals as well as the Birmingham community. CEAF is building a new home, The Pearl Center, at 1025 4 th Avenue West in Birmingham, Ala. The ground breaking ceremony was September 30, 2018.
Omicron Omega Chapter has over 300 active members. Nanette Baldwin is the Chapter President and Dr. Susanne Matthews is the CEAF President.
