AKA Sorority does it again,raises $1M for HBCUs

“We did it, we did it again!” Dr. Glenda Glover, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority International President and Chief Executive Officer shared with excitement in a video message last month to sorority members who for a third consecutive year raised $1 million in a 24-hour period for the benefit of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
As a matter of fact, this year’s goal, held on September 21, exceeded the $1 million mark. According to Glover, “The online receipts alone totaled more than $1.3 million” from local AKA chapters, private donors and corporate matching dollars from across the globe.

Tagged as HBCU Impact Day, this event is one part of a four-year $10 million fundraising goal set by Dr. Glover, who challenged her sorority sisters to lead the charge in helping to secure fiscal sustainability and success for accredited HBCUs around the country.

The sorority was successfully able to reach the $1 million goal consecutively in 2018 and 2019, supporting the organization’s HBCU for Life: A Call to Action platform, which aims to promote HBCUs by encouraging students to attend and matriculate through these institutions.

Last year, AKA gifted $1.6 million to the first 32 of 96 HBCUs through the AKA-HBCU Endowment Fund. Each HBCU received $50,000 in unrestricted endowment funds as part of a phased approach to help schools reduce student debt through scholarships, fund industry-specific research, recruit and retain top faculty, and other critical operations especially during this global pandemic.

Earlier in September, the sorority held a virtual brunch to launch the next round of 32 HBCU endowment recipients. Four more recipients were announced: Delaware State University, Lane College, St. Phillips College, and Medgar Evers College. Four additional grants will be announced on Friday, September 25, the last day of HBCU Week. The sorority will then announce 24 more recipients — six schools every Thursday for the next four weeks.

“These institutions continue to make a powerful impact in our communities and throughout our country, graduating 22 percent of all African Americans with bachelor’s degrees, nearly 80 percent of all African-American judges and 50 percent of all black lawyers,” said Dr. Glover, who is also the president of Tennessee State University and an HBCU graduate. “It’s gratifying to know that funds raised will establish endowments, providing sustainability to our historically black colleges and universities.”

Individuals or organizations interested in supporting the effort can still make contributions by texting AKAHBCU to 44321, giving by mail or online at http://aka1908.com/hbcus/donate-hbcu.

For more information on the sorority’s commitment to HBCUs, visit http://www.AKA1908.com.

This article originally published in the October 5, 2020 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.