PRINTER'S NO. 1973
No. 313 Session of 2005
INTRODUCED BY WASHINGTON, KIRKLAND, GEORGE, ROEBUCK, JAMES,
BISHOP, BLACKWELL, CORRIGAN, DeWEESE, GRUCELA, LEDERER,
McGILL, MYERS, RUBLEY, WATERS, PHILLIPS, BEBKO-JONES, WALKO,
GEIST, WILLIAMS, STABACK, CALTAGIRONE, SHAPIRO, ROSS, MANN,
PALLONE, MANDERINO, HERSHEY, CAWLEY, WOJNAROSKI, McILHATTAN,
FAIRCHILD, DONATUCCI, FORCIER, SIPTROTH, TIGUE, YOUNGBLOOD
AND GOODMAN, MAY 12, 2005
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
MAY 12, 2005
A RESOLUTION
1 Honoring Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority by designating May 11, 2005,
2 as "Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Day" in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, In 1908, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority became America's
4 first Greek-letter organization established by black college
5 women; and
6 WHEREAS, The sorority's roots date back to Howard University,
7 Washington, D.C., where the idea for formation was conceived by
8 Ethel Hedgeman Lyle of St. Louis, Missouri, who viewed the
9 sorority as an instrument for enriching the social and
10 intellectual aspects of college life by providing mental
11 stimulation through interaction with friends and associates; and
12 WHEREAS, Through the years, the sorority's function has
13 become more complex, branching out and becoming the channel
14 through which selected college-trained women improved the
15 socioeconomic conditions in their city, state, nation and the
1 world; and
2 WHEREAS, In a world in which materialism is pervasive and
3 technology and competition have decreased the need for
4 collaboration and cooperation, it is critical to have an
5 association that cuts across racial, international, physical and
6 social barriers to help individuals and communities develop and
7 maintain constructive relationships with others; and
8 WHEREAS, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is that vital
9 organization, a sisterhood composed of women who have
10 consciously chosen this affiliation as a means of self-
11 fulfillment through volunteer service, cultivating and
12 encouraging high scholastic and ethical standards, promoting
13 unity and friendship among college women, alleviating problems
14 concerning girls and women, maintaining a progressive interest
15 in college life and serving all mankind through a nucleus of
16 more than 150,000 women in the United States, the Caribbean,
17 Europe and Africa; therefore be it
18 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives honor the Alpha
19 Kappa Alpha Sorority by designating May 11, 2005, as "Alpha
20 Kappa Alpha Sorority Day" in Pennsylvania.
D7L82JS/20050H0313R1973 - 2 -