Pin for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority's 75th Anniversary
Pin for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority's 75th Anniversary
Symbol of sisterhood
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
- 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."
- 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.
- 1983
- 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)
- Classification
- Memorabilia and Ephemera
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Topic
- African American
- Education
- Sororities
- Women
- Record ID
- nmaahc_2013.133.2.12
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5f64567f3-6517-4605-bfff-21ae8a20b816
