Thousands of women dedicated to leadership and community service will take over Milwaukee this week. The Cream City will welcome Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA) for its 89th Central Regional Conference, April 6-9, at the Wisconsin Center.
In addition to exploring the city, the event is a time for members to reconvene, learn more about the current trajectory of the organization, participate in local philanthropy and celebrate sisterhood. AKA governance call the conference “a training ground for leadership, business and continued service”.
The Central Region will host two sorority community service projects: a blood drive in partnership with Versiti, and a food drive to combat childhood hunger (CHIPP). The organization invites the public to participate with food donations or gift cards on April 7, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Donations can be brought to the Wisconsin Center Vendor Exhibit Hall.
There are also opportunities for non-members to be involved. The sorority will honor some of Milwaukee’s influential leaders at its “A Showcase of Those Who Soar” Public Meeting on Friday, April 7, at 6 p.m. at the Wisconsin Center. TV Judge Mablean Ephriam will be the keynote speaker. The sorority will also recognize Divine 9 leaders from the National Panhellenic Council.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated was founded in 1908 at Howard University. It is the first and oldest Greek-letter sorority established by African American, college-educated women. Its membership, of more than 355,000 worldwide, begins at the undergraduate level and extends throughout adulthood (graduate). The Central Region is home to nearly 10,000 active members and chapters in nine states, including Wisconsin.
Notable Milwaukee-area members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. include Ald. Milele Coggs of District 6; former alderwoman Nikiya Harris-Dodd of District 5; Sen. Lena Taylor of the 4th District; Assembly Representative LaKeshia Myers of District 12; and Milwaukee County’s Chief Judge, the Honorable Judge Maxine White.
HYFIN’s Kim Shine* talked with Central Regional Director Kiahna W. Davis. Listen below to their conversation about the upcoming conference and its planned impact on Milwaukee, the sorority’s influence on Davis and why membership is a lifelong commitment to her.
*Kim is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Elizabeth Eden Harris, known professionally as Cupcakke, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. She is known for her hypersexualised, brazen, and often comical persona
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Elizabeth Eden Harris, known professionally as Cupcakke, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. She is known for her hypersexualised, brazen, and often comical persona and music although she has also made songs with themes supporting LGBTQ rights, female empowerment, and autism awareness.
Acclaimed GRAMMY-winning multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello makes her Blue Note Records debut with the June 16 release of The Omnichord Real Book, a visionary
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Acclaimed GRAMMY-winning multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello makes her Blue Note Records debut with the June 16 release of The Omnichord Real Book, a visionary and deeply jazz-influenced album that marks the start of a new chapter in her trailblazing career. Following her 2018 covers album Ventriloquism, Meshell returns with an album of new original material that taps into a broad spectrum of her musical roots. The Omnichord Real Book was produced by Josh Johnson and features a wide range of guest artists including Jason Moran, Ambrose Akinmusire, Joel Ross, Jeff Parker, Brandee Younger, Julius Rodriguez, Mark Guiliana, Cory Henry, Joan As Police Woman, Thandiswa, and others.
The Omnichord Real Book is introduced today by the expansive lead single “Virgo,” the mind-altering 8-minute centerpiece of the album which features Meshell on vocals, key bass, and keyboards, Younger on harp, Rodriguez on Farfisa organ, Chris Bruce on guitar, Jebin Bruni on keyboards, drums by Abe Rounds, Deantoni Parks, and Andrya Ambro, and additional vocals by Kenita Miller and Marsha DeBoe. The Omnichord Real Book is available for pre-order now on Blue Note Store exclusive color vinyl, black vinyl, CD, and digital.
“It’s a little bit of all of me, my travels, my life,” says Meshell. “My first record I made at 22, and it’s over 30 years from then, so I have a lot of stored information to share.” Reflecting on the impact that the forced stillness of the pandemic lockdown had on her, she says “I must admit it was a beautiful time for me. I got to really sit and reacquaint myself with music. Music is a gift.”
“This album is about the way we see old things in new ways,” Meshell explains. “Everything moved so quickly when my parents died. Changed my view of everything and myself in the blink of an eye. As I sifted through the remains of their life together, I found my first Real Book, the one my father gave me. I took their records, the ones I grew up hearing, learning, remembering. My mother gifted me with her ache, I carry the melancholy that defined her experience and, in turn, my experience of this thing called life calls me to disappear into my imagination and to hear the music.”