Alpha Kappa Alpha: MIT's First Sorority
AKA Lambda Upsilon Charter banner, created in 1977.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA) is an international service organization that was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1908 and is the oldest Greek-lettered organization established by African-American college-educated women.
The Lambda Upsilon Chapter of AKA was chartered on October 8, 1977 and was the first sorority on MIT's campus of any type. The inspiration for this Chapter was Mary Hope, then MIT Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, who felt that an effective group was needed through which Black women on predominantly White campuses could communicate and help each other. Lambda Upsilon's membership consists of students from MIT, Harvard University, and Wellesley College.
