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
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
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