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Local AKA Chapters Honor Eight Local Women During Annual
Founders’ Day Celebration
Tricia Hall
Sojourner’s Truth Reporter
The local chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Sorority,
Inc., Zeta Alpha Omega, Iota Iota, and Alpha Lambda hosted a
joint Founders’ Day celebration on February 20, 2021.
“This presentation provides the opportunity to honor local
black girls and women who rock in service, in our local
community. This amazing observation is presented in honor of
our historic sorority’s 113th Founders’ Day,”
shared Rhonda Sewell, event mistress of ceremonies.
The celebration was streamed on Facebook and YouTube
initially and has had over 300 views. The joint celebration
was titled, “Black Girls Rock and Exemplify Excellence.”
The program opened with a musical rendition of the Black
National Anthem, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” led by Sheila
Brown, meditation led by Katina Johnson and official
greetings by Chapter President Andrea Price.
“Greetings, I would like to welcome each of you to the 113th
Founders’ Day celebration. We pause today to honor the
founding of our beloved sisterhood and pay homage to the
vision, courage, tenacity, and oneness of purpose of the
extraordinary women who dared to create the first
Greek-letter organization for college-trained
African-American women,” shared Price.
The celebration continued with official greetings delivered
by Amani Wilson, the president of Iota Iota Chapter at
Bowling Green State University, and Lisa DuBose, PhD, the
Northern Ohio/Western Pennsylvania Cluster Coordinator.
AKA Sorority’s Great Lakes Regional Director Carrie Clark
served as the celebration’s featured speaker. She was
inducted into Xi Chapter, is currently a member Alpha Rho
Omega of Detroit, has held numerous leadership positions and
has served on sorority committees. She is also married with
two sons. Clark highlighted notable women throughout history
who either inspired the phrase black girls rock or
exemplified the definition throughout history.
“I want to commend the ladies of Zeta Alpha Omega Chapter on
the work that you do in the Toledo community,” shared Clark,
closing out her speech.
The celebration continued with a verbal and visual
explanation of the sorority’s targets: HBCU for Life a Call
to Action, Women’s Healthcare & Wellness, Building Your
Economic Legacy, The Arts, and Global Impact. The 2021
honorees were selected to align with the target and sorority
mission.
“Our honorees embody our mission by providing services to
the Toledo community and it’s residents that align with our
programs and services. African-American women have made
indispensable contributions to this nation and we honor the
exceptional black girls who rock as outstanding role models
and who have made significant contributions to this
community,” explained Price.
The 2021 honorees:
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Black Girl Magic Award, Amya Strong, Body by Strong and
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. member.
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Community Change Agent Award, Leila Harris, Leila’s Promise;
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Icon Award, Doni Miller, Neighborhood Health Association,
·
Legacy of Excellence Award, Stephanie Teamer, Toledo Public
School Counselor;
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Pearl Award, Margaret Huntley; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
Inc. member
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Shot Caller Award, Wendi Huntley, Connecting Kids to Meals;
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Social Humanitarian Award, Tracee Ellis, The American
Cultural Exchange Services;
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Young, Gifted and Black Award, J’Vann Winfield, TPS Art
Teacher and Art Museum Volunteer;
“It is my honor and pleasure to be awarded, the Young,
Gifted and Black Award. Over the years, I have strived and
will strive to continue to create a space where young
artists, especially minority artists can reach their full
potential. It has been a joy serving the youth of Toledo
throughout the years, thank you for selecting me for this
honor,” shared Winfield.
“I was really and excited when my mom told me that I was
picked for the Community Change Agent Award. When I first
started helping others in our community, I didn’t think that
it was a big deal, I just wanted to help. I saw the homeless
in Toledo on a daily basis and felt like there was something
that I could do, that’s when I told my mom instead of giving
me gifts for Christmas, I wanted to give gifts to those who
really needed,” shared Harris.
According to the national website the sorority was founded
on a mission comprised of five basic tenets that have
remained unchanged since the sorority’s inception more than
a century ago. The sorority’s mission is to cultivate and
encourage high scholastic and ethnical standards, to promote
unity and friendship among college women, to study and help
alleviate problems concerning girls and women in order to
improve their scholar stature, to maintain a progressive
interest in college life and to be of “Service to All
Mankind.”
“Thank you for attending our 2021 Founders’ Day celebration
and honoring us with your presence, shared Felicia Dunston,
event chair, during closing remarks.
Margaret Huntley
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