Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated
RHO KAPPA OMEGA CHAPTER
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About Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated
®
Alpha Kappa Alpha is the oldest Greek-letter organization established in America by Black college women. The record of its origin, growth and development, activities, evolving goals and accomplishments is more than an interesting chronicle of a colorful bit of college-based Americana. It is, rather, a significant and inspiring reflection of the development of a minority group in a changing culture.
In 1908, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority became America’s first Greek-letter organization established by and for Black women. Her roots date back to Howard University, Washington, DC, where the idea for formation was conceived by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle of St. Louis, Missouri. She viewed the Sorority as an instrument for enriching the social and intellectual aspects of college life by providing mental stimulation through interaction with friends and associates.
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Through the years, however, Alpha Kappa Alpha’s functioning has become more complex. After her incorporation as a perpetual body in 1913, Alpha Kappa Alpha gradually branched out and became the channel through which selected college-trained women improved the social and economic conditions in their city, state, nation and the world. Today, that tradition has continued--internationally, nationally and locally. Alpha Kappa Alpha cultivates and encourages high scholastic and ethical standards; promotes unity and friendship among college women; alleviates problems concerning girls and women; maintains a progressive interest in college life; and serves all mankind through a nucleus of more than 265,000 women in over 983 chapters.
For more information about Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, visit www.aka1908.com.
About Rho Kappa Omega Chapter
The idea of a Hudson County Chapter for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. was initiated by Soror Melody McGowan-Parker. Soror Melody decided that Jersey City would be the home base for Alpha Kappa Alpha national initiatives. Soror Parker generated enough interest that she was able to attract fourteen other dynamic sorors living and/or working in the area to join her efforts. These sorors operated as an interest group for two years and acted as a chapter. The interest group was known as
"The Women of Distinction"
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Some of the activities the group sponsored included a clothing drive for the homeless, donated a doll to the African-American Museum in Jersey City dressed in traditional Alpha Kappa Alpha clothing, worked with pregnant young women, and sponsored a health fair. Rho Kappa Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. was chartered on September 18, 1988 at Il Galletto Restaurant in North Bergen, New Jersey, in which it serves the communities of Hudson County, New Jersey.
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Rho Kappa Omega Charter Members
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Angela Best Nedwell
Barbara E. Moore *
Dolores L.A. Curtis
Doreen Draughan
Dorothy Daniels *
Ethel Washington
Gwendolyn Anthony-Garnett
Janet Daugett-Chavis
Linda Hill
Melody McGowan-Parker
Sheila McRae-Randolph
Sherie Jackson
Trudy Miles
Valerie Campbell
Wanda Gadson *
*notates deceased
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Previous Chapter Presidents
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Dolores L.A. Curtis
June Day
Rasheeda Green
Nicole Jackson
Sha-Nieka Muniz
Sobande F. Afolabi, Esq.
Cimeron Bryant
Vanetha Wood-Stradford
Sabrina Riley
Sobande F. Afolabi, Esq.
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About The North Atlantic Region
The North Atlantic region is the birthplace of Alpha Kappa Alpha and home to 140 graduate and undergraduate chapters in Massachusetts, Eastern New York, Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut, Maryland, DC, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Elicia Pegues Spearman, Esq. is the current North Atlantic Regional Director.
Rho Kappa Omega Chapter is a member of the Notable North Atlantic Region of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. To learn more about the North Atlantic Region, visit http://aka1908.com/northatlantic.
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