Chicago, Illinois – May 1, 2017 - Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® is outraged by a demonstration of racism on the campus of American University in Washington, DC. This hurtful incident has marred the historic occasion of the first African American woman being installed as the Student Government Association (SGA) President.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority calls on the university and law enforcement officials to conduct a thorough investigation that leads to disciplining the perpetrators of this appalling crime. We also urge American University to strengthen the security measures on campus to keep its SGA President, who also is an Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority member, other Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority members and African Americans on campus safe.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority will not tolerate unwarranted attacks on our members or any member of our community, verbal or otherwise, which interfere with their pursuit of higher education or their basic human rights. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and its entire membership is disappointed to see that incidents such as the bananas hanging from strings in the shapes of nooses marked with the letters AKA, a common reference to Alpha Kappa Alpha, continue to happen on the American University campus.

We look forward to working with American University leadership to discuss opportunities to ensure that American University is a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students, faculty and campus visitors.

About Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

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 letter organization established by African-American college-educated women. Alpha Kappa Alpha is comprised of more than 290,000 members in 1,006 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 in the Middle East. Led by International President, Dr. Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson, 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, og onto www.aka1908.com