Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated’s national headquarters released a statement in support of its AU chapter on Tuesday afternoon. The statement called for the University to increase security for Dumpson, other AKA members and African-American students on campus.
Some of the bananas hanging on campus on Monday were marked with the letters “AKA,” the letters of the sorority. Student Government President Taylor Dumpson is a member. Dumpson is the first black woman to be elected student government president at AU, and Monday was her first day in office, The Eagle previously reported.
“Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority will not tolerate unwarranted attacks on our members or any members of our community, verbal or otherwise, which interfere with their pursuit of higher education or their basic human rights,” the statement said.
AKA is a historically African-American sorority founded at Howard University in 1908. The Lambda Zeta chapter at American University was established in 1977. It currently has nine members, according to Colin Gerker, assistant director of fraternity and sorority life. Kesa White is president.
AKA is one of six members of the Intercultural Greek Collective, a collaborative governing body for cultural greek organizations on campus. Dumpson founded the organization in January 2016 and was its inaugural president. Aneisha Robinson, a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, will be the IGC’s next president.
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