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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY ON THEIR 113TH ANNIVERSARY
WHEREAS, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® (AKA) originated January 15, 1908, from the vision of Ethel Hedgeman and eight other African-American college student leaders on the campus of Howard University, Anna Easter Brown, Beulah Burke, Lillie Burke, Marjorie Hill, Margaret Flagg Holmes, Lavinia Norman, Lucy Diggs Slowe and Marie Woolfolk (Taylor), becoming the first African-American Greek-letter sorority; and
WHEREAS, on January 15, 2021, worldwide members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated will pause to honor the founding of their beloved sisterhood and pay homage to the vision, courage, tenacity, and oneness of purpose of the extraordinary women who dared to create the first organization for college-trained women designed to support and promote sisterhood, scholarship and service; and
WHEREAS, Alpha Kappa Alpha was incorporated on January 29, 1913, which facilitated the growth of an international service organization that now consists of 1,026 chapters, including many active chapters within Cook County, and 300,000 members in more than 55 nations and all 50 states, including the District of Columbia, the US Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, Germany, Liberia, South Korea, Japan, Canada, South Africa and the Middle East; and
WHEREAS, Alpha Kappa Alpha’s mission is to cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards, to promote unity and friendship among college women, to study and help alleviate problems concerning girls and women in order to improve their social stature, to maintain a progressive interest in college life, and embodied in their philosophy to be of “Service to All Mankind"; and
WHEREAS, for more than a century, the AKA Sisterhood has been an indomitable force for good in their communities, state, nation, and the world; and
WHEREAS, Alpha Kappa Alpha has maintained its focus in two key areas: the lifelong personal and professional development of each of its members; and galvanizing its membership into an organization of respected power and influence, consistently at the forefront of effective advocacy and social change that results in equality and equity for all citizens of the world; and
WHEREAS, this year’s Founder’s Day is especially poignant because on January 20, 2021, five days after Founder’s Day, one of its members, Senator Kamala Harris, will become the 1st woman, the 1st African-American, the 1st Asian-American, the 1st graduate of a historically Black college or university (Howard University) and the 1st member of an African-American Greek-letter sorority (Alpha Kappa Alpha) to be sworn in as Vice President of the United States of America; and
WHEREAS, in this year’s historic election, members of AKA and their brothers and sisters from the “Divine Nine” African-American Greek organizations played an integral role in helping to get out the vote with their “Stroll to the Polls” campaign: and
WHEREAS, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. chapters located in Cook County include: Beta (Chicago), Theta Omega (Chicago), Delta Omicron (Chicago), Theta Rho Omega (Markham), Delta Chi Omega (Evanston), Lambda Alpha Omega (Westchester), Lambda Mu Omega (Chicago), Lambda Tau Omega (Matteson), Xi Nu Omega (Chicago), Xi Kappa (Chicago), Omicron Alpha (River Forest), Tau Gamma Omega (Chicago), Pi Nu (Chicago), Phi Epsilon Omega (Harvey), Phi Kappa Omega (Oak Lawn), Chi Alpha Omega (Schaumburg), Chi Omega Omega (Chicago), and Tau Mu (Chicago); and
WHEREAS, the President and members of the Cook County Board of Commissioners are pleased to congratulate the members of the Cook County Chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority, Inc. on the occasion of the sorority’s 113th anniversary and celebrate the inauguration of AKA member, Vice President Kamala Harris on her historic achievement;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the President and Members of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, on behalf of the residents of Cook County, honor Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated on their celebration of National Founders Day on January 15, 2021, and thank them for 113 years of service in the public interest; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT this text be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body and that a suitable copy is presented to the International President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Glenda Glover, and Vice President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris as a symbol of our respect and esteem.
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