Updated: Thursday, January 15, 2026, 8:30 a.m. EST
Today, the ladies of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., are donning their finest pink and green fashions and Skee-Weeing to the high heavens in celebration of their 118th Founder’s Day! The FIRST Black sorority, founded on the campus of Howard University in 1908, the sorority now boasts hundreds of thousands of women who have pursued careers in the arts and entertainment, STEM fields, and even politics.
A few of our favorite celebrities are AKAs. Here’s a list of celebrities you may not know are mirror mesmerizers, representing the pink and green!
Loretta Devine
Actress and singer Loretta Devine graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Drama in 1971, and in 1976, she received a Master of Fine Arts in Theater from Brandeis University. During her time in school, Devine was initiated into the Epsilon Lambda Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Wanda Sykes
Wanda Sykes received a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from Hampton University, where she was initiated into the Gamma Theta chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Cathy Hughes, founder & Chairwoman of Urban One Inc., is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
She also has the esteemed honor of having a school named for her.
Howard University, where Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. was founded in 1908, renamed the School of Communications in her honor, dubbing it the Cathy Hughes School of Communications in 2020.
Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King received a Bachelor of Arts in music and education from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and then went on to study concert singing at Boston’s New England Conservatory of Music, where she earned a degree in voice and violin. She was also a proud AKA.
Alicia Keys
Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and pianist, Alicia Keys, is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Jada Pinkett Smith
Actress Jada Pinkett-Smith is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Two-time Emmy Award-winning TV host and journalist Tamron Hall became an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in 2024.
Cynthia Erivo is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
The Wicked star was inducted as an honorary member in 2021.
Journalist/attorney Sunni Hostin is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She was initiated in college in 1992.
Laura Coates
Laura Coates, CNN’s Chief Legal Analyst and Anchor, became an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in 2025.
Gabby Thomas
Olympian Gabby Thomas, one of the world’s elite sprinters, became an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in 2025.
Karine Jean-Pierre
Karine Jean-Pierre, the first Black person and the longest-serving woman to hold the position of White House Press Secretary, became an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in 2025.
Beverly Johnson
Beverly Johnson, the trailblazing supermodel, actress, entrepreneur, and author who made history as the first Black woman to appear on the cover of Vogue in 1974 and later on Elle, became an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in 2025.
Tracee Ellis Ross became an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in 2021.
Patti Labelle became an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in 2023.
Erica Campbell became an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in 2023.
