If you notice a sea of salmon pink and apple green flooding downtown streets this week, don’t be alarmed. You’ve stumbled upon nearly 5,000 members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., who have gathered in Indianapolis for the 92nd Central Regional Conference.
The four-day event, running April 9-12 at the Indiana Convention Center, brings together members from a multi-state region stretching from Minnesota to Kentucky.
For Kiahna Davis, the sorority’s central regional director, the return to Indianapolis carries special meaning.
“We are here in the Circle City — Naptown, as it’s affectionately called — to celebrate our 92nd Central Regional Conference,” Davis told the Indianapolis Recorder. “It is our annual regional business meeting. But of course, we also do social events and absolutely do community service. Because there wouldn’t be an AKA if it weren’t for a level of heart for community service.”
Founded in 1908 at Howard University, Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-letter organization established by African American college-educated women. The Central Region includes more than 10,000 members across eight states.
The conference’s marquee public event takes place at 7 p.m on April 10 in Exhibit Halls A and B of the convention center. Titled, “In a League of Our Own: Serving Stronger. Leading Further. Winning Together,” the public meeting will feature keynote speaker Symone Sanders-Townsend, the political strategist and former senior advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris.
Following the address, attendees will move to the Sagamore Ballroom for a step show and afterparty, celebrating the sorority’s rich tradition of competitive stepping.
While the conference includes business sessions and leadership workshops, Davis emphasized that service remains the organization’s heartbeat. Two major initiatives anchor this year’s community impact.
The first is a partnership to collect breast tissue donations for research.
“We understand breast cancer and its effect on women, particularly African American women, and the need to make sure there’s diversity in the type of research done in this area,” Davis said.
The second initiative partners with Cradle Indy and IU Health to assemble “mom packs” for new mothers. More than 4,000 members have donated diapers, wipes and other essentials to create care packages for families.
The conference is being hosted by three Indianapolis-area chapters: Alpha Mu Omega, Chi Chi Omega and the newest chapter, Alpha Gamma Mu Omega in Fishers. These local members have taken the lead on planning most activities outside the formal business sessions.
Chapters from across Central Indiana, including Fort Wayne and Evansville, are also on hand to welcome the thousands of visitors.
Youth engagement remains a priority as well. Davis noted that local high school girls in the sorority’s P.E.A.R.L.S. Club mentoring program — many from Indianapolis Public Schools and Crispus Attucks — will participate in the public meeting. Davis’s own daughter is scheduled to perform on the piano.
“We’ve tried to infuse a level of youthfulness here through some of the local mentoring programs,” Davis said.
The conference closes the evening of April 11 with a gala featuring After 7, the R&B group founded by Melvin and Kevon Edmonds — older brothers of legendary producer and musician Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds — along with Keith Mitchell.
The morning of April 12 will be a spiritual send-off, including a performance by Indianapolis gospel artist Lamar Campbell.
For Davis, the week is about more than business. It’s about reconnecting with a city that has embraced the sorority for decades.
“We’re just happy to be back in Naptown,” Davis said. “It is a wonderful city, one where we experience hospitality at its best. We’re looking forward to celebrating and doing the business and the work of Alpha Kappa Alpha in the sports capital and racing capital of the world.”
Contact Multimedia Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846 or email at noralp@indyrecorder.com. Follow him on X @3Noral. For more news, visit indianapolisrecorder.com.
Noral Parham is the multi-media reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
