Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Collection
Collection Summary
Title: |
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Collection |
Call Number: |
MS 2016-09 |
Size: |
9.5 linear feet (10 boxes and 1 OS folder) |
Acquisition: |
Donated by Dr. Sharon Cranford of the Beta Kappa Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., 2015 |
Processed by: |
JZ, 3-2016 |
Restrictions: |
Box 10 is restricted. |
Note: |
Digital collection, Alpha Kappa Alpha Collection |
Literary Rights
Literary rights were not granted to Wichita State
University. When permission is granted to examine the manuscripts, it is
not an authorization to publish them. Manuscripts cannot be used for publication
without regard for common law literary rights, copyright laws and the laws
of libel. It is the responsibility of the researcher and his/her publisher,
to obtain permission to publish. Scholars and students who eventually plan
to have their work published are urged to make inquiry regarding overall
restrictions on publication before initial research.
Content Note
This collection contains material primarily relating to the Beta Kappa Omega (BKΩ) Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA), the first Greek-lettered sorority founded by African-American women. Record types include meeting minutes, budget reports, magazines, photographs, notes, ephemera, audiovisual material, and artifacts. Bulk dates are from 1944-2015.
Historical Note
The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority was established on January 15, 1908, at Howard University by nine students wishing to create an organization that would support the academic and personal goals of African-American women. In 1930 the Alpha Rho Chapter of AKA was established at the University of Wichita, but disbanded in 1938. In 1935 alumnae who had been a part of Alpha Rho founded a graduate chapter of AKA, BKΩ. In 1967 WSU students formed a second undergraduate chapter of AKA, Epsilon Alpha. This chapter and BKΩ have become known for their extensive community service and sponsorship of Fashionetta, an annual event during which African-American high school girls in their senior year compete for college scholarships by engaging in various academic and civic activities.
Detailed Description: Series Listing
Series 1 |
Box 1 FF 1-11 |
Administrative, Business, and Historical Records. This series mainly consists of meeting minutes and financial records relating to BKΩ's activities with respect to AKA and the Wichita community, 1944-mid 1980s. There are also notes on the histories of local chapters and early membership in BKΩ. Material is arranged chronologically. |
Series 2 |
Box 1 FF 12-21, Box 3 FF 6 |
Fashionetta. This series contains material relating to the annual pageant of the same name; items include event guidelines, invitations, programs, news clippings, and correspondence, 1984-2013. Material is arranged chronologically. |
Series 3 |
Box 1 FF 22-35, Box 2 FF 1-3, Box 3 FF 1-2, OS 1 |
Press Clippings, Publications, and Conference Material. This series consists of press items on AKA, numbers of the sorority newsletter Ivy Leaf, AKA conference programs, and BKΩ newsletters and histories, 1962-2015. Material is arranged by item type and then chronologically. |
Series 4 |
Box 2 FF 4-8, Box 3 FF 3-7 |
Images. This series consists of loose photographs and reproductions of AKA/BKΩ members, as well as Fashionetta contestants, c. 1920-2010. Pictures of AKA/BKΩ members are arranged chronologically, followed by Fashionetta items. |
Series 5 |
Box 2 FF 9-13 |
Audiovisual. This series consists of material mainly documenting Fashionetta pageants during the mid-1990s, along with a 2008 DVD celebrating the centennial of AKA, 1989-2010. Material is arranged chronologically. |
Series 6 |
Box 2 FF 14-26, Box 3 FF 7, Box 4-Box 10 |
Artifacts. This series contains ephemera relating to AKA and BKΩ events and members, along with assorted handicrafts, writings, and record books by sorors, c. 1920-2015. Of note are the respective scrapbooks by Jo Brown and members BKΩ; these items provide an in-depth look at chapter life during the latter half of the 20th century. |
Detailed Description: Box and Folder Listing
Series 1 ‒ Administrative, Business, and Historical Records
Box 1 | FF 1 | Meeting minutes for BKΩ, 1944-1954 |
Box 1 | FF 2 | Notebook containing BKΩ financial records and notes, 1949-1950 |
Box 1 | FF 3 | Meeting minutes for BKΩ, 1954-1972 |
Box 1 | FF 4 | Budget sheets for BKΩ, March-June 1952 |
Box 1 | FF 5 | Budget ledger for BKΩ, 1954-1971 |
Box 1 | FF 6 | Draft typescript of minutes for September 3, 1968 meeting of BKΩ |
Box 1 | FF 7 | Financial reports for BKΩ, 1969-1970 |
Box 1 | FF 8 | Notebook on early BKΩ membership and finances for 1976-1977, c. 1976-1977 |
Box 1 | FF 9 | Budget worksheets and account statements for 54th Mid-Western Regional Conference of AKA, 1984 |
Box 1 | FF 10 | Notes on AKA chapters and members at WSU, c. 1970s-1980s |
Box 1 | FF 11 | Receipts, 1954-1982 |
Series 2 ‒ Fashionetta
Box 3 | FF 6 | Reproduction of organizational chart for 1984 Fashionetta |
Box 1 | FF 12 | Fashionetta committee meeting minutes and correspondence, 1984 |
Box 1 | FF 13 | Fashionetta guidelines, 1984-1986, 1988 |
Box 1 | FF 14 | Fashionetta invitations and programs, 1984-2008 |
Box 1 | FF 15 | Correspondence, song lyrics, and certificates, 1986-2008 |
Box 1 | FF 16 | Clippings on Fashionetta, 1992-2013 |
Box 1 | FF 17 | Fashionetta Fashion and Talent Workshop, 1998 |
Box 1 | FF 18 | Fashionetta 2005 Pearl Guidebook, 2005 |
Box 1 | FF 19 | Fashionetta 2010 program |
Box 1 | FF 20 | Fashionetta 2011 program |
Box 1 | FF 21 | Fashionetta 2012 program |
Series 3 ‒ Press Clippings, Publications, and Conference Material
OS 1 | | Kansas City Call article on BKΩ debutante ball in Wichita, 1962 |
Box 1 | FF 22 | Press clippings, 1983-2012 |
Box 3 | FF 1 | Wichita Eagle article on AKA clinic for children, 2000 |
Box 3 | FF 2 | Wichita Eagle article on AKA regional conference in Wichita, 2001 |
Box 1 | FF 23 | Ivy Leaf, May 1967 and Summer 1981 |
Box 1 | FF 24 | Ivy Leaf, Spring, Summer, and Fall/Winter 1985 |
Box 1 | FF 25 | Ivy Leaf, Spring and Winter 1986 |
Box 1 | FF 26 | Ivy Leaf, Spring, Summer, and Winter 1987 |
Box 1 | FF 27 | Ivy Leaf, Winter 1989 and Summer 1990 |
Box 1 | FF 28 | Ivy Leaf, Summer 1992 and Spring 1995 |
Box 1 | FF 29 | Ivy Leaf, Summer 2002 and Winter 2005 |
Box 1 | FF 30 | Ivy Leaf, Spring and Fall 2006 |
Box 1 | FF 31 | Ivy Leaf, Fall 2007, Fall 2008, and Spring 2009 |
Box 1 | FF 32 | Ivy Leaf, Spring 2012 and Spring 2013 |
Box 1 | FF 33 | BKΩ newsletters, 1981, 1984, 1999 |
Box 1 | FF 34 | 54th Mid-Western Regional Conference of AKA, 1984 |
Box 1 | FF 35 | 76th and 81st Mid-Western Regional Conferences of AKA, 2006 and 2011 |
Box 2 | FF 1 | Centennial Boule Agenda, 2008 |
Box 2 | FF 2 | "A Shining Example of Timeless Service," 2014 |
Box 2 | FF 3 | Program for 80th anniversary of BKΩ chapter, 2015 |
Series 4 ‒ Images
Box 2 | FF 4 | Beta Omega Chapter members of AKA in Kansas City, Missouri, c. 1920. Alpha Rho chapter members of AKA, c. 1934. Mary Ellen (Lewis) Cary, 1941, mid-1940s, mid-1980s. |
Box 2 | FF 5 | Jo Brown at Regional Conference in Kansas City, 1951. AKA/ BKΩ members, 1950s. BKΩ sorors and initiates, late 1950s. Carol Parks Hahn, co-leader of Dockum Drug Store sit-in, c. 1960s. BKΩ members at 1st debutante ball and at "La Parisienne" gala, 1962. BKΩ members and officers, 1964. Epsilon Alpha chapter members, 1967. |
Box 2 | FF 6 | Ella Fitzgerald with BKΩ members, 1985 |
Box 2 | FF 7 | AKA and BKΩ members, 1990s. AKA receiving Jubilee Citation Award from Urban League of Wichita, 1995. AKA and BKΩ members, 2000-2008. Local BKΩ members at AKA Centennial Boule, 2008. AKA and BKΩ members, 2010- . |
Box 3 | FF 3 | Jo Brown, c. 2000 |
Box 3 | FF 4 | Fashionetta committee members, mid-1980s. |
Box 2 | FF 8 | Fashionetta, 1984-2008 |
Box 3 | FF 5 | Fashionetta Pearls, 1991 |
Series 5 ‒ Audiovisual
Box 2 | FF 9 | VHS, "Ivy Presentation," 1989 |
Box 2 | FF 10 | VHS, "Fashionetta '94, Parts 1-3" (2 videotapes), 1994 |
Box 2 | FF 11 | VHS, "Fashionetta '95, Parts 1-4" (2 videotapes), 1995 |
Box 2 | FF 12 | VHS, "Fashionetta '97, Parts 1-3 [2 videotapes]," 1997 |
Box 2 | FF 13 | CD, "Mid-Western Shines," 1999; DVD, Alpha Kappa Alpha: Sisterhood and Service, 2009; DVD, Fashionetta 2010, 2010 |
Series 6 ‒ Artifacts and Ephemera
Box 2 | FF 14 | Edna Anderson's certificate of membership into the Beta Omega chapter of AKA at the University of Kansas, c.1920 |
Box 2 | FF 15 | Reproduction of 1935 BKΩ charter |
Box 2 | FF 16 | Writings of Edna Anderson Lewis, c. 1940, c. 1960s, n.d. |
Box 2 | FF 17 | Program for play, Home, by Samm-Art Williams, 1982 |
Box 2 | FF 18 | Invitations and programs to BKΩ and Alpha Epsilon functions, 1982-2015 |
Box 2 | FF 19 | Founders' Day invitations and programs, 1984-2015 |
Box 2 | FF 20 | Autographed program for Ella Fitzgerald concert in Wichita, 1985 |
Box 2 | FF 21 | Guest book for BKΩ meetings, 1989-1991 |
Box 2 | FF 22 | Certificates of appreciation to BKΩ, 1994-2015 |
Box 2 | FF 23 | Other, 1995-2015 |
Box 2 | FF 24 | BKΩ scrapbook (part 1 of 2), 1999 |
Box 2 | FF 25 | BKΩ scrapbook (part 2 of 2), 1999 |
Box 2 | FF 26 | Proclamation by Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell honoring BKΩ, 2015. Certificate of thanks from the House of Representatives, State of Kansas, to BKΩ, 2015 |
Box 3 | FF 7 |
Presentation material on the history of BKΩ in honor of donation to WSU, 2015 |
Box 4 | | Undergraduate Songfest Award from AKA to Epsilon Alpha Chapter, 1983 |
Box 4 | | Jubilee Citation Award from Urban League of Wichita to AKA, 1995 |
Box 5 | | AKA crest, n.d. |
OS 2 | | AKA crest (laminated print), n.d. |
Box 5 | | Notepad holder and BKΩ stationery, n.d. |
Box 5 | | AKA button, n.d. |
Box 5 | | Bookmark commemorating 66th Boule, 1984 |
Box 5 | | Rush sachets, 1989 |
Box 5 | | 2014 EAF Awards Luncheon program, 2014 |
Box 6 | | Scrapbook of Josephine "Jo" Pace Brown, 1948-1990 |
Box 7 | | Quilt, c. 1990 |
Box 8 | | Pillow, c. 1984 |
Box 9 | | AKA centennial doll, 2008 |
Box 9 | | AKA paddle, n.d. |
Box 10 | | Restricted |