Leave The AKAs Alone!

Sophia Nelson, a moderate Republican pundit and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, writes about America's oldest predominantly black sorority as it deals with a financial scandal that's made international news: "In the past two weeks, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. has been the subject of intense media scrutiny as a result of a damaging civil lawsuit that was filed by some members who call themselves 'Friends of the Weeping Ivy.' The news was picked up by the mass media and all hell has rained down on dear old AKA, my beloved sorority, ever since. We have been called 'Criminal girls with 20 pearls,' 'She say she say,' 'AKA’s money gone funny,' 'Sorority girls gone rogue' and worse. To be candid, it has been embarrassing for all of us to endure the negative publicity surrounding the lawsuit filed against our international president, Barbara A. McK[i]nzie, just one year after our centennial celebration in Washington, D.C., last July. And it has been downright heart wrenching to watch our sisters fight each other publicly with lawsuits and harsh indictments instead of finding a way to talk to one another directly and allowing our bylaws and internal oversight processes to deal with this matter privately."

Ms. Nelson continues her commentary: "As a sorority member, I can’t comment publicly on pending litigation. But as a loyal AKA, I want to set the record straight about the very meaningful legacy, enduring sisterhood and continuing relevance of Alpha Kappa Alpha despite this latest brouhaha. Partly as a result of this mess, there has been much speculation about whether Greek-lettered organizations and other traditional black organizations such as the NAACP have any relevance in a country that elected a black man president. After all, we live in a 'post-racial' America, right? Wrong. If we have learned anything over the past few weeks with the Gates/Crowley/Obama White House summit, the Sotomayor nomination and general discussions about race, and culture, in America, it is that black and white Americans often see the same issues quite differently. We come to the table with different life experiences and backgrounds that shape our opinions and worldview. I have been asked many times by my non-black friends why I joined a sorority exclusively for black women, or, better still, why I founded an organization (iask, Inc.) for professional black women back in 2004. My answer is always the same — these organizations are still necessary even in the 21st century — and they serve a very useful purpose in the collective cultural tapestry of America."

More: "It’s easy for outsiders to dismiss the legacy of Alpha Kappa Alpha, to use this latest dust-up as proof of its irrelevancy. But we are heirs to an historic legacy — a legacy that can’t be diminished by all the recent drama and naysaying. We were founded in 1908 by college-aged black women, just one generation removed from slavery — at a time when American women had no rights. And for most of its existence, Alpha Kappa Alpha has helped to improve social and economic conditions for all Americans (not just black Americans) through our award-winning social programs. My favorite example: the Mississippi Health Project, which brought primary medical care to the rural populations across the state for six summers in the 1930s. It was the first mobile health clinic in the United States and assisted approximately 15,000 people in the Mississippi Delta. In 1938, we were the first organization to lobby Congress for minority civil rights. We were the first sorority to gain observer rights status at the United Nations — way back in 1946. In 1965, with a $4 million grant, AKA became the first sorority to operate a federal job training center: the Cleveland Job Corps. We’re continuing that legacy today. I bring all this up to say that AKA has overcome far greater challenges than this current lawsuit. A strong organization does not grow to be 101 years old without having endured great successes and great adversities."

Booker Rising response: I'm not an AKA. However, as a member of Pi Beta Phi - one of the oldest sororities, and whose historical legacy AKA can thank for much of its own organizational structure, like national chapters, international chapters, the idea of a national philanthropy, the alumnae concept, most of this done before AKA was founded in 1908 - let me give my outsider's perspective. Obviously, I'm not a hater of sororities. I have some affection for AKA, because the best friend of one of my aunts is an AKA. I acknowledge the work that AKA has done over the years servicing black communities, and don't believe it is an irrelevant organization. Perhaps I would've pledged AKA, had the AKAs not been suspended for hazing during my time in college. I also understand maintaining a sense of history, as in 1990 I became the first black woman to pledge my house in its then-95-year history on campus. Ten years earlier, I couldn't have darkened the Pi Phi doorstep as a member (then again, depending on the campus, I couldn't have darkened the AKAs' events as a member in 1980 either, given its unspoken paper bag test rule). Being in a sorority myself, I feel for the AKAs right now.

However, the lawsuit at hand is not challenging whether AKA has properly done community service or promoted its sisterhood. The central issue - which international president Ms. McKinzie is willfully clouding are as follows: did Ms. McKinzie or didn't she use the sorority credit card for personal gain? Did she or didn't she take what used to be a volunteer position as president and turn it into a $375,000 position without members' approval? Did she or didn't she spend $900,000 or how ever much on those now-infamous wax figures? Did the board of directors grant her a $4,000 a month pension after her term is up and take out a $1 million life insurance policy and violate AKA bylaws? Although I do wonder why all of the sorority business is being put out on front street, I understand that members tried to privately bring their concerns to Ms. McKinzie at the Centennial Boule last year but she blew them off. This lawsuit has now become public interest, especially since AKA can only continue to function if people allow their daughters, sisters, cousins, young friends, etc. to join. Also, AKA has gotten and perhaps is still getting federal and state grants at the chapter level to implement some of its programs.

Alpha Kappa Alpha only has itself to blame for the "all hell has rained down" effects of its actions. Had it instituted controls to ensure financial responsibility, it wouldn't be in its current predicament. I strongly agree with Ms. Nelson that a sorority can provide sisterhood. However, that doesn't mean that the connection should be abused to commit financial offenses against its members. A sorority's finances should be run like a tight ship, because members are using their hard-earned money to help the sisterhood. I see Ms. McKinzie has gone gangsta and suspended the members who brought suit to bring fiscal responsibility to AKA (even though she's sued the sorority herself in the past). AKA has some soul-searching to do, beyond this fiscal scandal because clearly many members have a lot of concerns about governance and other issues. Why hasn't Ms. McKinzie been told to step aside from her position while the case is resolved?! I can't imagine Mary Loy Tatum still holding her Grand Presidency had this happened to the Pi Phis. However, I'm sure that AKA will weather the controversy and come out alright. If it survived the 1913 Delta Sigma Theta splinter, it can survive this current challenge.