Sorority celebrates century of service

YOUNGSTOWN — For the women who walked around Wick Park to celebrate the centennial of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, each of the 1,908 steps was a reminder of generations past, of black women who succeeded and supported one another.

Nine hundred chapters of the group across the United States took 1,908 steps at the same time today to signify the year the sorority was founded.

For Miami University student Amaris Brady, being one of the 50,000 sorority members walking at the same time nationwide was a breathtaking experience. “We’re all walking as a community, as one. It is an honor,” she said.

The short, commemorative journey around the block spoke of the grander path taken by AKA over a century, from it’s founding by the first generation of black Americans born after emancipation to the women who continue a tradition of service beyond the black community.

As the sisters recalled on the centennial, the sorority’s motto is: “Service to all mankind.”

To Brady and her friend Ashley Turnage, a student at the University of Cincinnati, those words mean lending a helping hand to whoever’s in need of it.

The group has given aid during recent floods and wildfires in the West.

For the complete story, see Sunday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.