Organizational Profile

Sigma Alpha Kappa Sorority was an African American sorority at Hunter College (New York City) that operated from at least 1934 through 1942. ( The last report I was able to find) According to a February 3, 1934 article, it was "the first sorority recognized by the college authorities" at Hunter and "grew out of a social group formed during the present quarter".

Mission and Activities

The sorority implemented direct educational support by establishing a tutoring program in cooperation with Wadleigh High School principal Miss Margaret Byrnes in 1941, where senior members coached high school students in mathematics, English, science, foreign languages, and history, with special focus on students preparing for Regents examinations. They also created social events intended to raise money for their student

Social Calendar

The sorority maintained an active social calendar throughout the late 1930s and early 1940s, including:

• Tea dances and Leap Year dances at venues like the West 138th Street Casino

• Semi-annual luncheons for "rushees" (prospective members) at members' homes, particularly at Dr. John Lovell's residence at 140 West 138th Street and Mrs. John Morrison's home at 10 West 121st Street

• Mother's Day tea events at the Urban League, 204 West 136th Street

• Initiation ceremonies for new pledge classes held in spring

Institutional Recognition

Sigma Alpha Kappa was part of Hunter College's formal Greek governance structure. The January 10, 1937 Times Union article listed it among 32 sororities affiliated with Hunter's Pan-Hellenic Association. The article noted that Hunter delegates from these sororities, including Sigma Alpha Kappa, would "attend the National Regional Pan-Hellenic conference to be held in Washington, D.C." to "cooperate with other college sororities throughout the United States".

Geographic and Social Context

The sorority operated within New York City's African American community, particularly Harlem, as evidenced by event venues and member addresses concentrated in West Harlem (130s-140s streets, Edgecombe Avenue). Coverage in The New York Age, the prominent African American newspaper, indicates the organization was part of the broader Black social and civic life in New York during this period.

Membership Profile

Members came from families active in Harlem's professional and religious communities. Membership also seemed to be concentrated with young women with West Indian Heritages from areas like Trinidad, Barbados  and Guyana. At least one documented member, Eleanor Brooks (later Cutlar), graduated from Hunter College and married a City College graduate who was a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, suggesting connections to the broader network of African American Greek letter organizations. The sorority recruited high school students as pledges, with multiple references to graduates from Wadleigh Junior High School and P.S. 5 joining the organization before entering college.

Historical Significance

As potentially the first officially recognized sorority at Hunter College, Sigma Alpha Kappa represents an important but understudied chapter in the history of African American women's organizing in higher education during the 1930s-1940s. Its dual focus on scholarship support and direct educational intervention through tutoring demonstrates a commitment to expanding access to higher education for Black students in New York City during a period of significant educational inequality.

The archival materials in the Sara D. Roosevelt Memorial House Collection at Hunter College would likely contain additional primary sources about the organization's constitution, membership records, and activities.