Beulah Burke

Who was Beulah Burke?

Beulah Elizabeth Burke, She and her sister Lillie were two of the nine original founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority in 1908, the first sorority founded by African-American women. In her leadership as an educator and civic activist, Burke created important social capital. Her legacy of Alpha Kappa Alpha has continued to contribute to society for nearly 100 years.

Burke was instrumental in founding and leading new chapters at colleges in the Midwest. The African-American population was dramatically increasing in major cities there due to the Great Migration. Young women in Chicago and other cities had more chances for education through high school and college. The chapters Burke established helped support African-American women in college and prepare them for later leadership to help the next generations in society.

Beulah Burke demonstrated in her work as an educator, sorority leader and civic activist how African-American sororities supported women "to create spheres of influence, authority and power within institutions that traditionally have allowed African Americans and women little formal authority and real power."