Either directly or indirectly a lady of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated has had an effect on your life. Maybe she ensured your child could afford college by awarding them a scholarship. Or she helped to plant a garden in your community to answer the need of food deserts in the area. Perhaps you saw a group of them building a house for a deserving family. One might have encouraged you to join a letter-writing campaign to exercise your political voice for policy changes. Or your company partnered with them to provide essential supplies to people internationally. For more than 110 years, the ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA) have worked to serve all mankind here at home and far away abroad.

Ninety of those years of service have been executed right here in Houston by local members of the fourteen graduate and six undergraduate chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. This year members have ramped up their service in Houston with a series of projects dubbed “29 Moments of Service” ahead of their biennial convention to be hosted in Houston on July 6-12, 2018.

Houston, get ready for the wave of pink and green that is coming. Ladies from all over the world will descend upon Houston for a weeklong conference that will engage them in acts of service, handling business, and bonding as sisters. Up to this point, members have completed 16 of 29 service projects impacting Houston. The other 13 projects will be completed during the conference. Projects have ranged from park bench dedications and donations to HBCUs to creating a pop up food pantry. International President of AKA, Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson, does not necessarily have a favorite project as she thinks all are wonderful and needed but she does have two that touches her. The first being the two homes sorors built in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Dedicated to two prominent Houston residents and former international presidents of the sorority, Mattelia B. Grays, and Faye B. Bryant, the homes will be given to needy families. Her second project is the Think HBCU College Expo. Being a two-time HBCU graduate, Buckhanan Wilson understands the importance of a college education and wants to do her part to make sure every child wanting to go to college has the information and means to do so. “Each of the 29 moments are projects and programs that are much needed. We are doing projects that will leave a lasting impact,” said Buckhanan Wilson.

Every time a convention comes to a city, Alpha Kappa Alpha wants their presence to be felt long after the convention is over. Houston is already benefitting from the sorority’s 29 Moments of Service that will also help infuse $1 million into the city. Another estimated $50 million will be left by AKAs once they are in Houston. Considering that AKAs will occupy most of the hotels in downtown and Galleria area, will eat out at city’s restaurants two to three times daily, and not to mention the shopping that will happen, $50 million is a modest estimate. AKAs love to spend money and have a great fondest for Houston.

The Bayou city holds a special place in Buckhanan Wilson’s heart. It was here that she attended her first national conference as a member of the sorority. Forty years later and her life has come full circle and she is back as her presidential term comes to an end. In our interview, she shared that Houston was selected for the Boule for other reasons as well. Reason #1 was for the members and chapters here. One of the oldest chapters in AKA, Alpha Kappa Omega, calls Houston home. With more than 800 financial members, Alpha Kappa Omega will celebrate its 90th anniversary this December. “Alpha Kappa Omega grew up with the sorority,” expressed Buckhanan Wilson. Reason #2 is because of Dr. Mattelia B. Grays and Faye B. Bryant. Not only are they former international presidents of AKA, the ladies have a length legendary history in the field of education with Houston ISD. They are truly two of Houston’s treasured pearls. Reason #3 involves the rich history and legacy Alpha Kappa Alpha has rooted Houston. AKAs have been providing service to Houston and surrounding areas since 1928. Reason #4 is because of our progressive mayor. The Honorable Sylvester Turner and member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., is too excited about the AKAs coming to Houston and a made a good pitch for the convention to be held here. He calls the upcoming convention the second Super Bowl.

Buckhanan Wilson is proud to add to the history of Alpha Kappa Alpha in Houston with this conference. It was AKA’s effect on communities that first drew her to the organization. As she was growing up in South Carolina, Buckhanan Wilson watched the ladies work and provide services for her community. Joining AKA once she got to college was an easy decision. Buckhanan Wilson commented, “I felt that what AKA stood for service, scholarship, volunteerism, and making an impact was close to my principles of what I believe in. “ Forty years after being initiated, Buckhanan Wilson is still working and actively serving in the name of AKA.

Sixteen of her years of membership has been spent as a member of the national executive body. First as a regional director, then moving up to recording secretary, 1st vice president and now international president. Throughout the years, she has had a front row seat to view how the sorority has evolved. She noted three major points of change coming from the overall growth in membership of the sorority that now has 1,048 chapters, 30% undergraduate chapters and 70% graduate chapters. Expansion of the organization’s focus to deliver more of what the community is in need of. And third is increasing the sorority’s level of engagement, especially with politics by being a voice for those who can’t speak for themselves.

Over the course of the last four years, Alpha Kappa Alpha members have championed the “Launching New Dimensions of Service” program thrust. Programs fell under five target areas – Educational Enrichment, Health Promotion, Family Strengthening, Environmental Ownership, and Global Impact. Included in these initiatives are International Community Impact Days and the signature enrichment program, ASCEND Youth Enrichment Program. LNDS targeted the core values of the sorority, service, scholarship, and sisterhood, while taking the sorority’s mission impact, focus, and service to a new level. “We want to be sure that we are always alleviating problems and concerns involving girls and women and others in our community who need our help.’

As a result of the laser focus, AKA can boast that they just didn’t meet their goals; they exceed them. The youth mentoring program ASCEND that supported students’ journey to college or vocational employment was goaled to reach 20,000 students. AKAs reached 40,000 students. More students’ concerns were met when AKAs donated 1 million backpacks filled with school supplies and/or food to students in need. AKA donated $12 million to Historically Black Colleges and Universities under the #ThinkHBCU initiative to bring awareness of who they are, what they do, who they produce, and that they still need financial support. In regards to health, AKA continues to cultivate their partnership with the American Heart and Stroke Association but also formed a new partnership with National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). AKA is the largest partner NAMI has worldwide. Through the family strengthening initiative, 800,000 hats, gloves, scarves, socks, coats, sweaters, and other wraps were passed out to families to make sure they stayed warm during colder month. Children now have safer places to play because of the 2,200 playgrounds that members restored and renewed for the AKA 1908 Playground project. The initial goal was to restore 1,908 playgrounds. AKAs surpassed that number. Finally, AKAs expanded their global mission with partnerships with Africare and the United Nations.

Buckhanan Wilson is pleased with the results. She accomplished everything she wanted to do as president of the oldest Greek-lettered sorority. Her vision and hope for the future of the sorority remains to be greater growth and productivity.

During the Houston national convention, Buckhanan Wilson’s time in office will come to an end. Her future plans are to return to the workforce doing some type of meaningful work, writing a book chronicling her family’s history, and, of course, serving in her community.

Dr. Glenda Baskin Glover will be installed at the conclusion of the convention as the 30th international president of AKA. Glover is the current president of Tennessee State University (TSU) and First Vice President of AKA. She has served on numerous corporate boards of publicly traded companies. She was initiated into AKA through the Alpha Psi Chapter at TSU. Her educational background includes degrees from TSU, Clark Atlanta University, George Washington University, and Georgetown University. She is a certified public accountant and licensed to practice law.

The 68th Boule of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. under the helm of Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson will be held in Houston on July 6-12th. The weeklong convention is being chaired by Diedra Fontaine and co-chaired by Rhonda Newhouse, Madelyn Nunn, and Dr. Shawn Simmons. Mattelia B. Grays, Faye B. Bryant, Gwendolyn J. Brinkley, and Dr. Polly Sparks Turner are serving as honorary chairmen. For more information about AKA and public events during the Boule visit aka1908.com.