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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated is the
3first sorority founded by African-American women; it began on
4the campus of Howard University in 1908 under the guiding
5principles of sisterhood, scholarship, and service; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The organization currently has more than 265,000
7members and more than 970 chapters across the globe; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The Gamma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
9grew out of the Delta Phi Eta Club at the University of
10Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for the purpose of fostering a
11friendlier relationship among students; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Through the guidance of Alpha Kappa Alpha Founder
13Beulah Elizabeth Burke and Incorporator Nellie Quander, Gamma
14Chapter was chartered on February 12, 1914 as the third chapter
15of Alpha Kappa Alpha; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Alpha Kappa Alpha was the first sorority for
17African-American women at the University of Illinois; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The 8 charter members of Gamma Chapter were Emma
19Ballinger, Selma Beck, Frances Ellis, Clara Vesta Lewis, Louise
20Lewis, Ivorine McAllister, Edith Stevens and Helen Stevens; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Gamma Chapter was a trailblazer in the expansion
2of Alpha Kappa Alpha nationwide; and
 
3    WHEREAS, "Gamma Girls" have shown strong leadership in
4service and scholarship both during and beyond their
5undergraduate years; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Notable members of the organization include the
7first African-American female University of Illinois Bronze
8Tablet Scholar, the first African-American woman to be crowned
9homecoming queen at a Big Ten school, an Alpha Kappa Alpha
10International Corresponding Secretary, and 5 regional
11directors; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Gamma Chapter played a pivotal role in the early
13enrollment and housing of African-American women at the
14University of Illinois; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Gamma House, which has served as a residence for
16both sorority sisters and non-members alike, was instrumental
17in recruiting and retaining African-American women at the
18university; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Members of Gamma Chapter have gone on to become
20educators, authors, lawyers, physicians, legislators, and a

 

 

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1plethora of other successful occupations; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Lovingly known as "Glamorous Gamma," the chapter
3set the tone for student activism and future organizations
4focused on women of color; and
 
5    WHEREAS, 100 years later, the Gamma Chapter of Alpha Kappa
6Alpha Sorority remains the longest-serving organization for
7African-American women at the University of Illinois, the
8State's flagship public institution of higher learning;
9therefore, be it
 
10    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL
11ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we celebrate the women
12and legacy of the Gamma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,
13Incorporated in commemoration of their centennial anniversary,
14and deem February 12, 2014 as "Gamma Day" in the State of
15Illinois; and be it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
17presented to the Gamma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority as
18a symbol of our esteem and respect.