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Fri, Mar

Alpha Kappa Alpha raises $140,000 for Black colleges (HBCUs)

U.S. Senator and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Dr. Glenda Glover, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s International President. Photo by Jason Lewis

Education

At the Far Western Region conference in downtown Los Angeles, the sorority emphasized the importance of supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities.  

 

 

 

Senator Kamala Harris speaks at the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Far Western Region Conference Public Meeting at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles.

 

Carol R. Dixon, Far Western Regional director of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
 

By Jason Lewis

Over 1,700 members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.’s Far Western Region came to Los Angeles for their conference that featured their community service efforts.  Supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) was one of their major initiatives.  

“One of the highlights of the conference was raising money for HBCUs,” said Carol R. Dixon, Far Western Regional director of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.  “I am proud to say that the Western Region raised over $140,000 to support HBCUs.  It is a record, and I challenge all other regions (of Alpha Kappa Alpha) to beat us.”

The conference was held at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown.  At the conference’s Public Meeting, U.S. Senator and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris spoke about the joy that she has when she is around her sorority sisters, and about the mission of the organization.

“When we who know the reason for the existence of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated; when we who know our history of our sorority; when we who our mission and our reason for being, we know that this is a sorority that is emblematic of the best of what it means to serve,” she said.  “And to serve those who deserve to be seen and heard and uplifted.  It is the very core of who we are.”

Harris pointed out that the sorority members not only serve while the public is watching, but also when the cameras are not rolling.  They raised $20,000 for HBCUs at the Public Meeting, with donations coming from attendees and other Divine Nine organizations.  The following day, behind closed doors, Alpha Kappa Alpha raised $120,000 from their own chapters and members who attended the conference.  

The sorority also supported the only HBCU in the western region of the U.S.  They participated in a day of service on the campus of Charles R. Drew University.   

In the  five decades since the university was incorporated in the Watts-Willowbrook area of Los Angeles, nearly 600 physicians, 1,200 physician assistants and over a thousand other health professionals have graduated from the school.  Its School of Nursing has graduated over 1,000 nursing professionals.  

The sorority also held a fun-filled event at King/Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science , where they spoke to the students about the importance of attending college, and gave them valuable information about the admissions process.

The sorority encourages people to continue to donate to funds that support HBCUs.  People can donate through the Alpha Kappa Alpha Educational Advancement Foundation, https://donate.akaeaf.org/pages/HBCU_Community_Impact_Day.  

For more information about Alpha Kappa Alpha’s Far West Region, visit http://www.aka1908.com/farwestern.