Local AKA Chapter celebrates Founders’ and Charter Day with community partners
Published 7:00 am Tuesday, March 26, 2024
LPO Chapter with Guest Speaker in back from left, Michelle Covington, Amy Baker, Karen Walker Lee, Carolyn Burwell, Teresa Rawlings, Rose Parker, Sharon Sykes, Gwendolyn Gray, Alexa Harris, Vonsia Sanders, Courtnee Ellsworth, Yvette Davis; Middle: Rhonda Chambliss, Daphne Miller, Wilhelmina Bradley, Cheryl Tanner, Andrea Hall-Leonard, Norletta Edmond, Syretha Wright, Sylvia Claud, Patricia Sowell, Margorie Peete, Anitra Smith-Freeman, Carol Logan, Melia Hill, Joronda Baxter, Diane Lenoir-Giles, Alice Brunson; Front: Callie Williamson, Keisha Nichols, Sitrina Pope, Chapter President Renna Ebron, 19th mid-Atlantic Regional Director Jennifer King Congleton, Sabrina Lee, Cherese Parker-Freeman (Photo by Frank A. Davis)
New LPO Silver Stars in back from left, Andrea Hall-Leonard and Sabrina Lee, Committee Chairmen; Front: Callie Williamson, Silver Star; Renna Ebron, Chapter President; Keisha Nichols, Silver Star; and Carolyn Burwell, Silver Star; Not pictured Melanie Bradshaw, Silver Star (Photo by Frank A. Davis)
Award Recipients in back from left, Michelle Covington and Cherese Parker-Freeman; Front: Andrea Hall-Leonard; Renna Ebron, Chapter President; Sabrina Lee (Photo by Frank A. Davis)
LPO Charter Members & 1st Initiate in the back from left, Renna Ebron, Chapter President; Front: Sylvia Claud, Charter Member; Carol Logan, LPO 1st Initiate; Jennifer King Congleton, 19th mid-Atlantic Regional Director; Carolyn Carey, Charter Member (Photo by Frank A. Davis)
Guest Speaker: 19th mid-Atlantic Regional Director, Jennifer King Congleton (Photo by Frank A. Davis)
From left, Chapter President, Renna Ebron; 19th mid-Atlantic Regional Director, Jennifer King Congleton; Chapter Members: Andrea Hall-Leonard, Syretha Wright, Yvette Davis, Amy Baker, Karen Walker Lee (Photo by Frank A. Davis)
In back from left, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Franklin-Southampton Alumni Chapter President, Tim Mays; Front: Andrea Hall-Leonard, Committee Chairman; Renna Ebron, Chapter President; Jennifer King Congleton, 19th mid-Atlantic Regional Director; Sabrina Lee, Committee Co-Chairman (Photo by Frank A. Davis)
Founders’ Day/Charter Day Committee in back from left: Amy Baker, Michelle Covington, Joronda Baxter, Alice Brunson, Sharon Sykes, Carol Logan, Wilhelmina Bradley, Cherese Parker-Freeman, Daphne Miller, Norletta Edmond, Sitrina Pope; Front: Andrea Hall-Leonard, Chairman; Renna Ebron, Chapter President; Jennifer King Congleton, 19th mid-Atlantic Regional Director; Sabrina Lee, Co-Chairman (Photo by Frank A. Davis)
Andrea Hall Leonard; Renna Ebron, Chapter President; Angela Fair, S.P. Morton Elementary School Principal; Norletta Edmond (Photo by Frank A. Davis)
Chapter President Renna Ebron recognized for her leadership by Founders’ Day/Charter Day Committee Chairmen Andrea Hall-Leonard and Sabrina Lee (Photo by Frank A. Davis)
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By Michelle Covington
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated celebrated 116 years of existence on Jan. 15, 2024.
To commemorate the occasion, sorority chapters all over the country held events to honor the founders, and the local Lambda Psi Omega Chapter in Franklin, under the leadership of Chapter President Renna Ebron, held its event on March 9, 2024, at The Village at Woods Edge in Franklin. During the celebration, not only did the chapter members pay homage to their founders but also to their charter members who, led by the late Mrs. Pauline Morton, chartered the Lambda Psi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority on March 19, 1978. The surviving charter members include Sylvia Claud, the Honorable Dr. Carolyn Carey, and Angelee Godbold. The chapter members also paused for a moment in memory of their most recent “Ivy Beyond the Wall,” Charter Member Mildred Harris (May 28, 1937 — Sept. 6, 2023).
Chapter members who reached milestones in membership were recognized: Melanie Bradshaw, Dr. Carolyn Burwell, Keisha Nichols, and Callie Williamson all celebrated 25 years of sorority membership.
Other chapter awards were given for outstanding dedication and service to Lambda Psi Omega Chapter. Michelle Covington received the Soaring Star award, and Dr. Sabrina Lee received the Excellence in Service award. Cheese Parker-Freeman received the Tea Rose Member of the Year award. Dr. Andrea Hall-Leonard received the Appreciation Award. Chapter President Renna Ebron was also recognized by the Founders’ Day Committee for her outstanding leadership.
The guest speaker for the event was the 19th mid-Atlantic Regional Director (Virginia & North Carolina) of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Jennifer King Congleton, who emphasized the need for those in attendance to follow the steppingstones laid by our predecessors to be encouraged by the strength and tenacity of the founders and to pick up the mantle and carry on the good work that they began.
She reminded the audience that there is still so much work to be done in the fight for justice, equality, and civil rights, but we all have the ability to make a difference if we take our cue from those who paved the way. Congleton dynamically infused references to civil rights activists and Biblical figures whose journeys can be pulled upon for inspiration as we strive to leave our own stepping stones for future generations to follow.
In addition to celebrating the successes of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and Lambda Psi Omega Chapter, the chapter members recognized several community partners who have worked to make a difference in the community. These community partners included the following: Boykins Neighborhood Outreach Center (Carl & Dr. Lillie Faison, Co-director and Founder/Director), Franklin Parks and Recreation (Sammara Green, Director), Franklin City Public Schools (Dr. Carlton Carter, Superintendent), Southampton County Public Schools (Dr. Gwendolyn Shannon, Superintendent and Devonda Gary, Principal), and the Franklin-Southampton Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Tim Mays, President. Nadine Baxter-Atkins and Brigadier Gen. Sheila Baxter (Retired) were also recognized for their annual financial contribution to the sorority chapter in memory of Lambda Psi Omega Chapter member the late Sandra Smith.
Lambda Psi Omega Chapter would like to thank everyone who made the Founders’ Day and Charter Day event a great success. The chapter thanked the King for serving as the guest speaker and the following vendors/organizations for providing the following services: Covingtons & Co., Shiloh Baptist Church, Ms. Paula Dozier, Frank Davis, and The Village at Woods Edge.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA) is an international service organization that was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C., in 1908. It is the oldest Greek-lettered organization established by African American, college-educated women. Alpha Kappa Alpha is comprised of nearly 360,000 members in 1,074 graduate and undergraduate chapters in the United States, Liberia, the Bahamas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Germany, South Korea, Bermuda, Japan, Canada, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. Led by International President Danette Anthony Reed, Alpha Kappa Alpha is often hailed as “America’s premier Greek-letter organization for African American women.” For more information on Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and its programs, visit www.aka1908.com.
