Birthplace of the founder, and the vision
This story was originally published in The St. Louis American.
More than 4000 members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated will be in the city where their sisterhood all began this weekend when the 91st Central Regional Conference gets underway at America’s Center.
“Howard University gets to claim the founding of AKA,” said Kiahna W. Davis, Alpha Kappa Alpha Central Regional Director. “But St. Louis gets to claim not only the birthplace of the founder, but the birthplace of the vision.”
The year was 1907. Howard University student and Sumner High School graduate Ethel Hedgeman (later Ethel Hedgeman Lyle) was back home in St. Louis for summer break.
She spent her downtime from school developing the concept for a trailblazing service organization and sisterhood that would change the world.
“When she went back to school at Howard University, her path was to influence other like-minded young ladies to join together in this,” Davis said. “I can only imagine her smiling down on us and just being proud of the organization we’ve become.”
Alpha Kappa Alpha has grown from that original nine in 1908 to more than 360,000 initiated members in 2025.
Hedgeman Lyle — known throughout the sorority as “The Guiding Light” — is probably smiling even brighter at the thought of the positive impact sorors from the Central Region will have on her city from April 3-6.
Davis is thrilled that St. Louis will host the Central Regional Conference for the first time since 2018.
“Actually, I wanted it to be the first conference of my administration,” Davis said.
The 2025 conference theme is “Soaring in the Lou: Opulence in Bloom.”
“The theme of our current administration, under the leadership of Danette Anthony Reed (International President & CEO), is ‘Soaring to greater heights in sisterhood,’” Davis said. “We added the tagline ‘opulence in bloom.’”
The tagline is a nod to members being able to pour into each other having a level of wholeness, wellness and a level of femininity through the lens of blooming and opulence.
“I tell people, ‘If you want to rekindle the love and admiration for the organization and the members in it, come to a regional conference,i” Davis said.
This year’s conference is a ‘thank you’ to sorors — in the eight states that make up the Central Region, and beyond — for their hard work in 2024 with respect to community service, advocacy and political engagement.
“It will be us saying, ‘We see you and we saw the work that you did, and we want to love on you. And that it is okay to get your rest,’” Davis said. “Then, once you have had your break, let’s roll up our sleeves and work like women of Alpha Kappa Alpha have always worked and advocated — not only for ourselves, but for our family and our communities. There are more barriers for us to break down and forces for us to fight. Our community needs us more than ever.”
Most of the conference will be closed for members to handle sorority business, attend workshops, participate in community service events and fellowship. But the sorority is sponsoring several public events and activities that align with Alpha Kappa Alpha’s mission of “Service to All Mankind.”
“Not everybody understands Black Greek letter organizations — our impact, our legacy and our longevity. I think we are the best kept secret when it comes to service, when it comes to economic power, when it comes to influence and political power,” Davis said. “When we talk about a $5.5 million impact in four days, that should get someone’s attention.”
She hopes that the city takes notice of the impact.
“I hope it is not taken for granted that when we step into a place with our pink and green that not only do we enjoy each other and serve the community, we spend our money,” Davis said. “I want people to say, ‘Who are those women walking down the streets of St. Louis, creating this level of buzz, imparting all of this wonderful service in our community and leaving all of this cash in the registers.’”
Davis sang the praises of the local host chapters.
“We have three wonderful chapters in St. Louis and two across the bridge in East St. Louis and the surrounding area,” Davis said. “They do hard work on a daily basis carrying out the dream of Ethel Hedgeman Lyle.”
Among them are two former Central Regional Directors — Kathy Walker Steele and the AKA icon Peggy Lewis LeCompte.
“She is the chairman of all of the regional directors in Central,” Davis said of Lewis LeCompte. “We honor her, we respect her, and we thank God that she could impart the knowledge she has from the decades she served – not only the community here in the St. Louis area, but in AKA as a whole.”
They’ve already touched down on the soil where the seed for AKA was planted and are excited about the shift in the atmosphere that they will provide during the 91st Central Regional Conference.
“When you really analyze that impact, it’s enormous,” Davis said. “I’m also really proud that we get to do that in the birthplace of Ethel Hedgeman Lyle. I’m sure she is dancing because what she dreamt here in St. Louis came to fruition — and more.”
The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated 91st Central Regional Conference will take place from April 3-6 at America’s Center. For more information, visit https://aka1908.com/central/events
