About Us
Omicron Eta Omega Chapter History
Celebrating a Legacy of Service
On May 26, 1984, after operating a year as an interest group, the Mystical Pearls became an official chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Omicron Eta Omega was chartered by our 20th Central Regional Director, Mabel Evans Cason. You can read more about our region on the Central Region website.
Behind the leadership of Soror Angela Haywood Gaskin and fifteen charter members, Omicron Eta Omega instituted programs of service that were designed to better the communities surrounding the city of St. Louis. These programs developed a model that has sustained the chapter’s existence for over twenty years. Voter Registration Drives, Scholarship Fundraisers, Tax Preparation Assistance Programs, Job Skills Training and Resume Writing are among the many programs implemented. Funding a Water Purification Plant in the African country of Rwanda was part of our International initiative. The chapter has been represented at every Boule, Leadership Conference, Central Regional Conference, and Area Retreat since 1984 … California, the Bahamas, Washington D.C., Jamaica, Las Vegas, Alaska … Omicron Eta Omega Chapter was present. Our chapter was also in attendance at the First International Regional Conference held in Freeport, Bahamas. Representation at these conferences has allowed our chapter to parallel National program targets as they are developed.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated ® History
A Vision Fair…
In 1908, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority became America’s first Greek-letter organization established by Black college women. Her roots date back to Howard University, Washington, D.C., 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. Through the years, however, Alpha Kappa Alpha’s function 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 socioeconomic conditions in their city, state, nation, and the world.
The Original Group: Marjorie Hill, Lucy D. Slowe, Lillie Burke, Ethel Hedgeman Lyle, Anna E. Brown, Marie Woolfolk Taylor, Beulah E. Burke, Margaret Flagg Holmes, and Lavinia Norman.The Sophomores of 1908: Norma Boyd, Ethel J. Mowbray, Alice P. Murray, Sarah M. Nutter, Joanna B. Shields, Carrie E. Snowden, and Harriett J. Terry.The Incorporators: Norma Boyd, Julia E. Brooks, Ethel Jones Mowbray, Nellie M. Quander, Nellie Pratt Russell, and Minnie B. Smith.
For more information about our International organization and history, please visit www.aka1908.com.
