Marvelous MAR

History

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® began as vision of nine college students on the campus of Howard University. The sorority has grown into a union of thousands of college educated women who are bound by a powerful mystique, a real moving factor in the lives of students in more than four hundred institutions of higher learning; it is one of the most solvent corporations in the world today.

As the sorority has grown, it has kept in balance two very important themes: the importance of the individual and strength of an organization of women of courage and ability. As the world became more complex, there was a need for associations which cut across racial, geographical, political, physical and social barriers.

To effectively and efficiently govern the more than 900 chapters, Alpha Kappa Alpha is divided into regions, according to geographical location and density of population. Chapters were originally organized into regions in 1924 and charged regional directors as the lead officer. Prior to 1953, the states that now make up the Mid-Atlantic Region (NC and VA) were part of the South Atlantic Region.

At the 1953 Boule, due to realignment, the Mid-Atlantic Region was born. Dr. Rose Butler Browne, the first Mid-Atlantic regional director, led the region with determination and commitment to serving all mankind. Focusing on the national theme of Our Health, Our Strength, the first Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference was held in Newport News, VA with Lambda Omega serving as the host chapter. Since 1953, there have been eighteen regional directors and 130 chapters (82 graduate chapters and 48 undergraduate chapters).

Dr. Norma S. White, 25th international president, coined the term Marvelous Mid-Atlantic Region.