Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated

Eta Rho Omega Chapter -- Chartered 1961

San Jose, CA




A Message From The Basileus:

A Legacy of Sisterhood and Service

The legacy of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated officially began in the San Jose area on December 2, 1961. This year, we will celebrate several anniversaries, the 45th anniversary of the chartering of Eta Rho Omega Chapter, the 25th Anniversary of our Debutante Program, and the 5th Anniversary of the incorporation of Eta Rho Omega Community Foundation.

It is my honor and pleasure to extend a salute to the charter members of our chapter. They are Myrtle Blackwell, Kathryn L. Bullock, Alva Cooper, Verdis Crockett, Barbara R. Day, Juanita S. Harris, Betty L. Hawkins, Wilma A. Hooper, Gloria Hughes, Josephine Matthews, Marguerite McCraven, Althea Miller, Faye C. Morton, Joyce Richardson, Georgia P. Thomas, Mary P. Washington, Margaret Webster, Gloria Williams, and Frances Williams.

These ladies planted the seeds of sisterhood and service for Alpha Kappa Alpha women in San Jose and the surrounding communities. Through the years, the bond of AKA sisterhood and service stretched from as far north on the peninsula to Palo Alto, down through San Jose and Milpitas and up to east bay communities that include Fremont, Hayward, San Ramon, and Walnut Creek.

The original charter was for a mixed chapter. This allowed reaching out to potential members that were post graduates, students at San Jose State University and Stanford University as well. As we grew, two separate undergraduate chapters, Zeta Psi/SJSU, and Xi Beta/Stanford, were chartered. Later, two groups of ERO Sorors began the process to charter chapters in their local communities. Those chapters are Rho Delta Omega/Palo Alto, CA and Rho Upsilon Omega/San Ramon, CA

Our programs of service are widely recognized within the community. For a number of years, we sponsored the Ebony Fashion Fair as means to earn funds to support our community program efforts. In our early years, we began awarding scholarships to graduating high school seniors, sponsored programs for senior citizens, and began the SAT workshop program. In 1981, we sponsored the first Debutante Program. This year we are celebrating our 25th anniversary of this program. In 1989, we hosted the first annual Baccalaureate Celebration for graduating high school seniors of African American descent. This program has continued and next year will be our 19th year. In 1995, we sponsored an Ivy Teens program targeted towards teenage girls between 13 – 15 years of age providing cultural enrichment activities. This program continued for 4 years. And, in the year 2000, we began the On-Track program which includes enrichment activities for elementary school age children. Last year, we began a partnership with the San Jose Chapter of Jack & Jill of America in the development and implementation of a California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) preparation workshop for students.

In 2002, the ladies of Eta Rho Omega established and incorporated the Eta Rho Omega (ERO) Community Foundation. The Foundation is a 501(c)3 federal tax exemption organization. This exemption has allowed us to expand our reach to raise funds to support our community programs.

The legacy of community service in the San Jose area also includes donations to the Inez Jackson Library at the African American Community Service Agency, and the San of San Jose’s Martin Luther King Library located on the campus of San Jose State University.

As you can see, the women of our sisterhood are busy. I extend Pink & Green kudos to the members of Eta Rho Omega who continue the legacy of Sisterhood and Service in the San Jose community.

Kind Regards,

Linda F. Walker
President
Eta Rho Omega Chapter
Eta Rho Omega Community Foundation