In honor of Black History Month, the Illustrious Iota Kappa Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated recently hosted a special annual event in honor of Black History Month. Dubbed “Essence of Black,” the celebration was held on February 21 on campus in Union Room G.
It is an annual event where the AKAs put on for the black community to learn about their history and cultures, and to discuss certain topics that students go through while being in a predominantly white institution.
Jaila Cox, the president of the Iota Kappa Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, and Mar’Taja Doty, the vice president of the Iota Kappa Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, want the black community to also learn something new about things in African-American history they might not have known.
AKAs even paired up and supported a food bank that went along with their event.
“In support of the food bank, our conference is coming up in March,” Cox said. “And our objective is to fill Africatown’s food bank in Mobile, Alabama.”
The Africatown Food Bank accepts nonperishable items like jars of peanut butter, canned pasta, canned soups, crackers, etc., which they send to people in need.
During the Essence of Black event, an icebreaker, focusing on African-American topics, and open discussions on hairstyles, code-switching, colorism, media representation, and more, was held.
AKAs also played a game called “Black Card Revoked,” where African-American students should know a saying, song, or “law” that surrounds the black community.
Towards the end of the event, there were colors of brown, light brown, and gray yarn with markers, glue sticks, canvases, and stickers to design something that stands for Black History Month.
“Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated was one of the first African-American sororities, so we do what we can to give back to our community,” Cox noted. “We do try to reach out to the university as a whole, but sometimes it’s nice to just bring in our people and you know, cater to them a little bit.”
AKAs have big plans as their AKA week is approaching.
“The next event we will have is actually AKA week April 8 through the 12,” Doty explained. “So, we would like everybody to come out and see what we have at our events and to participate with us.”
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, an international service organization, was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1908. It is the oldest Greek-letter organization established by African American college-educated women. It is part of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.
The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) organizations at The University of Southern Mississippi select members through a process called intake. Intake is the process of selecting, educating, and starting new members in an NPHC chapter. This process is prescribed by the national organization.
If you would like to be on the lookout for events and more, follow the AKAs on their Instagram @iotakappa_1908.