Council Members Fisher and Watson Host AKA Day
Dozens of women donning pink and green filled the rows of the Prince George’s County Council chamber on March 18 as Council members Wanika Fisher (D-District 2) and Ingrid Watson (D-District 4) hosted a joint Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Day on March 18.
The day included a two-hour reception in the Wayne K. Curry Administration Building to honor the sorority members’ contributions to the county.
“As a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., I am honored to celebrate the remarkable women of AKA who have dedicated themselves to service and leadership in Prince George’s County,” said Fisher. “This event is an opportunity to highlight their impact and express gratitude for their ongoing contributions.”
Often spotted sporting the sorority’s trademark colors, Fisher holds strong pride in the work her sorority has done to advocate for progress and social change. She cited famous members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. as some of her biggest inspirations, including former Secretary of Aging Gloria Lawlah, former Prince George’s Council member Dorothy Bailey, civil rights icon Coretta Scott King and Vice President Kamala Harris.
“The role is enormous. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc has been serving all mankind since 1908,” she said. “We have been passionate about women and children, health, small business, equity and more.”
Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first historically African-American sorority, founded in 1908, and there are nine active chapters across Prince George’s.
“We wanted to bring our sorority sisters here to the council meeting to show them the process of what we do,” said Watson. “It’s all about education, and I think they learned a lot today from our Council session. Some of our executive leaders shared information on the budget and other things we thought were important to them.”
R. Nicole Sharp, a member of the sorority who originally graduated from Norfolk State University, attended AKA Day after hearing about the event at a chapter meeting.
“We previously had AKA on the Hill and those who couldn’t make it to that, were able to come to this. I serve on the Social Action Committee for my chapter, personally, and I believe political advocacy is super important in this political climate. We focus on civic advocacy as a nonpartisan organization,” she said. “I am a resident of the county and I felt compelled to get more involved and know more about what’s going on. To represent AKA is just as important as my other civic engagements.”
Reginald F. Lewis Museum Plans March 29 HBCU Day
Baltimore’s Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture is planning an HBCU Day on March 29 to offer opportunities for local students to apply to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and learn more about the application process.
As Maryland’s largest museum dedicated to preserving information and inspiration about the lives of African American Marylanders, the Lewis Museum will mark its 20th anniversary this year. To recognize the historic occasion, the museum last month premiered its 100th exhibit, “TITAN: The Legacy of Reginald F. Lewis,” a vast display of a Marylander known for changing the landscape for Black entrepreneurs.
“As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, this is the perfect time to honor the museum’s namesake,” said Reginald F. Lewis Museum President Terri Lee Freeman. “We are excited to mark this milestone with a year of programming including HBCU Day, recognizing that Mr. Lewis’ experience at Virginia State University was instrumental in his formative years.”
The day’s events will include college admissions counselors conducting on-site admissions, a Greek step show, info sessions on funding college, resource tables with community organizations, and panel discussions on HBCU activism, moderated by Dr. Ida Jones of Morgan State University.
“Seeing this exhibit come to life is incredibly moving, and I want to thank the Reginald F. Lewis Museum for honoring my husband’s legacy with such care and dedication,” said Loida Nicolas Lewis.
Lewis was one of the wealthiest African Americans in the 1980s, becoming the first Black person to run a billion-dollar company: TLC Beatrice International Holdings Inc. He was a graduate of Virginia State University, the first fully state-supported four-year HBCU.
“Mr. Lewis’ story is one of perseverance, excellence, and breaking barriers,” the late businessman’s wife continued, “values he gained in part from his HBCU education as a Virginia State University alum.”
Learn more about the Reginald F. Lewis Museum here.
