This December marks two years since the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s Iota Alpha chapter was reinstated at Brown in 2021. Originally chartered in 1974, AKA has a long history at the University but became inactive for several years in 2012.
Currently, the chapter consists of two members: Emory Brinson ’24 and Kennedy Tyson ’26. Brinson serves as Iota Alpha chapter’s president, chapter representative and social media manager. Tyson, who was recruited and initiated last semester, serves as the chapter’s vice president, secretary and treasurer.
The chapter is overseen by Graduate Advisor Joi-Danelle Whitehead, a 16-year member of AKA who provides Iota Alpha chapter with guidance on sorority standards.
Whitehead, who also serves as the director of diversity, equity, inclusion and access for the University’s pre-college programs, noted that Iota Alpha chapter has historically been a small chapter. She explained that ebbs and flows in membership at Black Greek organizations are common within institutions that have smaller Black student populations.
At a predominantly white institution like Brown, Black “chapters are not going to be big, especially compared to an HBCU or other Greek organizations,” Tyson said. “Brown in particular is a small school. There just are not as many Black students.”
In the past two years, Iota Alpha chapter has served the Brown and Providence communities through community service, chapter programs and scholarship funding, according to Brinson.
Since its reinstatement, the chapter has created the Beatrice Coleman Scholarship at Hope High School, which awards $500 each year to one Black female student who intends to pursue higher education, Brinson said.
She added that the scholarship fund has been “an incredible way to get off campus and honor the legacy of Black women at Brown and in Providence.” Brinson hopes that the chapter’s work will encourage Black youth to pursue both their aspirations and opportunities in higher education and Greek life.
“It is powerful to know that you are important and that the things you are passionate about are important,” she said.
Referring to the Black students that the chapter works with, Brinson said that she hopes “they are going to find something that makes them feel empowered, passionate and safe.”
Over the past two years, the chapter has also donated to Women’s Refugee Care, gifted holiday cards to residents at Bethany Home of Rhode Island, volunteered at TurnUpRI’s 2022 Youth Summit and collected toiletries for Crossroads Rhode Island.
With the semester in full swing, the chapter has prioritized offering academic and social support programs for students. Tyson and Brinson spearheaded Iota Alpha chapter’s Fall Skeeweek, which consisted of a church service at Congdon Street Baptist Church, a financial resources workshop, an advocacy info session, volunteer activities and a self-care resource session.
“It’s important (that Black women) have spaces where they can be vulnerable and have conversations about experiences that are more unique to them, to gain resources and access to folks that can positively impact them,” Whitehead said.
Even with their accomplishments, Brinson and Tyson admitted that the chapter has faced challenges since its reinstatement: “There are always growing pains when you are bringing something back and trying to uphold a legacy that is so honored,” Brinson said.
But Whitehead acknowledged that the “warm welcome” and support received from students, administration and local communities has been crucial to the chapter’s early success.
Beyond its support system, Iota Alpha chapter has found strength and motivation in sisterhood.
Sisters “have to help, strengthen, encourage, mentor and teach each other to effectively serve. It is inextricably linked that we must take care of each other to be able to serve our communities more broadly,” Whitehead said. Tyson noted that her time with Iota Alpha chapter has taught her how to be present for those around her in a way that no other experience has.
Brinson, Tyson and Whitehead expressed their hope that the chapter will grow and strengthen its connections to local communities moving forward.
The chapter expects to increase the Hope High School scholarship fund, create sustainable student programs on campus and expand collaboration with other student organizations — particularly the Divine Nine, a group of historically Black Greek organizations recognized by the Pan-Hellenic Council.
This spring, the chapter will welcome a network of alumni back to campus to honor a legacy of powerful Black women and influential service during its 50th anniversary celebration, according to Whitehead.
For Brinson, the chapter is a “culturally important keystone in the Black community” at Brown. “We are able to hold onto the legacy of Black Greek life and bring forward the legacy of Black activism and Black community,” she said.
