Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, founded on the campus of Howard University in 1908, is the oldest Greek letter sorority established by African American women. The sixteen visionary founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha sought to create a sorority that would cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards, promote unity and friendship among college women, study and help alleviate the problems concerning girls and women, maintain an active interest in college life, and be of service to all mankind. Determined to uplift and improve the black community, the women of Alpha Kappa Alpha have worked tirelessly during our organization's 95-year history and have sponsored major initiatives such as the Mississippi Health Project, the Partnership in Mathematics and Science, the AKA Reading Experience Program, the American Council on Human Rights, the African Village Program, and the Cleveland Job Corps Program. In recent years, the women of Alpha Kappa Alpha founded the AKAdemy in Durham, South Africa and sponsored a charter elementary school in St. Louis, MO, named in honor of founder Ethel Hedgeman-Lyle. Thus from its humble beginnings in 1908, Alpha Kappa Alpha has expanded to over 400 colleges and universities and has active undergraduate and graduate chapters in Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean.