AKAs

Did You Know These 15 Trailblazers Are Non-Honorary Members Of Alpha Kappa Alpha?

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated had its humble beginnings as the vision of nine college students on the campus of Howard University in 1908. Since then, the sorority has flourished into a globally-impactful organization of over 283,000 college-trained members, bound by the bonds of sisterhood and empowered by a commitment to servant-leadership that is both domestic and international in its scope.

Today, our friends over at The Shadow League are honoring some of the best and brightest women who are at the forefront of effective advocacy and social change that results in equality and equity for all citizens of the world.

There is an amazing group of honorary AKA’s that includes the likes of Jada Pinkett-Smith, Maya Angelou, Ntozake Shange, Alice Walker, Iyanla Vanzant, Julie Dash, Ella Fitzgerald, Alicia Keys, Gladys Knight, Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, C. Delores Tucker, Suzanne de Passe, Catherine Hughes, Mae Jemison, Dr. Wangari Muta Maathai, Eleanor Roosevelt, Zina Garrison and C. Vivian Stringer.

But our list focuses on the women who pledged an undergraduate or a graduate chapter.

PHYLICIA RASHAD – Rashad studied at Howard University and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor’s Degree of Fine Arts in 1970. Best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the The Cosby Show, Rashad was the the affirmation of African-American poise, beauty and intelligence during the show’s grip on American consciousness from 1984 through 1992.

She was the first African-American actress to win the Best Actress Tony Award, which she won for her 2004 performance in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. She most recetly played the widowed wife of former fictional heavyweight champion Apollo Creed in the latest installment of the Rocky movie franchise, Creed.

Click on the arrows below to see the rest of the list.