AKA Sorority pledges $10 million to HBCUs
11th February 2019 · 0 Comments
By Victoria Clark
Contributing Writer
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated has pledged to donate $10 million to 96 Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) over a four-year span through a newly-created endowment. The first 32 HBCUs will be receiving their profit of $50,000 on February 28.
The sorority announced last week the AKA-HBCU endowment fund in partnership with the Educational Advancement Foundation (EAF) to help HBCUs remain stable in their finances. Presidents from the schools receiving funds will be in attendance at a Black History Month program at the Alpha Kappa Alpha International Headquarters in Chicago, Ill. While in Chicago, they will also receive a tour of the Ivy Center International Headquarters in the Hyde Park neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago.
“Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. has implemented the AKA-HBCU Endowment Fund with the goal of investing in the future of our young people and the sustainability of our treasured HBCUs,” said Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. International President, Dr. Glenda Glover.
“As an HBCU graduate and someone who has dedicated my life’s work to the HBCU community, I personally know that the financial challenges of many institutions have an impact on student enrollment, retention and graduation rates,” Dr. Glover, said.
Among those HBCUs receiving funds from the endowment fund is Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO).
“Our organization has pledged to donate a total of $10 million dollars towards the endowment, and we are honored to provide SUNO with the first $50,000 during our February event as we celebrate Black History Month and the legacies of all HBCUs.”
SUNO has been awarded a total of $100,000 from the fund, the first half of which it will receive during the Black History Month program in Chicago on February 28. The university says it will use the funds to provide scholarships for students.
“I am excited about the opportunity to see the renovated Alpha Kappa Alpha Headquarters,” Chancellor Mims-Devezin said. “I can’t thank the Sorority enough for including Southern University at New Orleans in this endowment pledge.”
Black sororities and HBCUs have had a co-dependent relationship since 1908, when AKA was founded on Howard University’s campus. Throughout the sorority’s 111 years of service, they have been committed to supporting Black institutions because it is their foundation. Jacqueline Nash, the President of the Nu Gamma Omega Baton Rouge Chapter explained the funding for the HBCUs donations are mostly from the members pockets.
“We fully committed to funding and promoting HBCUs because of the history,” Nash said, “we partner with corporate businesses but primarily its personal contributions.”
As Black History Month just starts to kick off, February has been a month of support shown through togetherness. When Bennett University almost lost its accreditation, HBCU students helped raise money to keep the schools doors open. Now AKA is planning to donate to 96 HBCUs. It seems that the Black community has been using the power of unity to create a solid foundation that benefits them. Laurie Willis, the head of communication department at Bennett University, explained that the history of unity is something the Black community should cherish.
“Our history must be preserved for generations and generations to come,” Laurie Willis, head of communication department at Bennett, said, “It wasn’t too many decades ago that African Americans could not attend majority-serving institutions which is why it is important to preserve HBCUs.”
The schools that will be recognized at the Black History Month program are: Albany State University, Alcorn State University, American Baptist College, Bennett College for Women, Chicago State University, Coppin State University, Fayetteville State University, Florida Memorial University, Fort Valley State University, Grambling State University, Harris-Stowe State University, Le Moyne-Owen College, Lincoln University, Livingstone College, Miles College, Mississippi Valley State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University, Philander Smith College, Savannah State University, Shaw University, South Carolina State University, Southern University at New Orleans, St. Augustine’s University, Stillman College, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Voorhees College, West Virginia State University, Wilberforce University, Wiley College, Paul Quinn College and Edward Waters College.
As Black History Month continues, acknowledging programs like the AKA-HBCU Endowment Fund shows why inclusion and support matter. Alpha Kappa Alpha has always looked to support HBCUs and hopes to continue a rich legacy throughout generations.
“We push 11th and 12th graders to apply to Black colleges because the rich history and legacy is so important,” Nash explained, “It’s crucial to keep educating the Black mind”.
For more information about the endowment or to contribute to the Alpha Kappa Alpha Educational Advancement Foundation, visit www.AKAEAF.org.
This article originally published in the February 11, 2019 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
