In the Jim Crow era, Ethel Hedgeman (1887–1950), a student at Howard University in Washington, D.C., helped form Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first sorority founded by and for African American women. The sorority celebrated its 75-year diamond anniversary in 1983 with this commemorative gold pin with ivy leaves, which symbolize strength, endurance, and lasting friendship. Amid societal hostility, Black Greek-letter organizations fostered self-help, solidarity, and a sense of cultural pride and connectedness on college campuses, helping young women forge lifelong bonds through rituals and shared experiences.
Pin for the diamond anniversary of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
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Object Details
- Date
- 1983
- Manufactured by
- Unidentified
- Subject of
- Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, founded 1908
- Description
- An Alpha Kappa Alpha metal pin with a pin back. The pin is a circular gold ring with gold ivy leaves at center. The bottom portion of the circle has "A K A" on it and a diamond, while the top half of the pin has lettering that reads "Alpha Kappa Alpha."
- Topic
- African American
- Associations and institutions
- Education
- Sororities
- Women
- Women's organizations
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Memorabilia and Ephemera - Other
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Historical Society of Washington, DC and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2013.133.2.12
- Type
- pins (jewelry)
- Medium
- metal
- Dimensions
- 1 1/8 x 1 1/8 x 3/16 in. (2.9 x 2.9 x 0.5 cm)
- Metadata Usage
- CC0
- Record ID
- nmaahc_2013.133.2.12