Sample Letter – AS OF 10/8/2013

Without question, the late Dr. Arthur M. Brazier committed his life to Christian ministry and the betterment of Chicago communities. He strived to stamp out gang violence as well as advocate for affordable housing.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority proudly acknowledges and honors Dr. Brazier’s many accomplishments as a prominent civic leader, minister and Founder of The Woodlawn Organization; however, we oppose the renaming of Stony Island Avenue in its entirety. Besides placing a huge financial burden on our organization, the address 5656 S. Stony Island Avenue has significant historical meaning to us as well. Perhaps 63rd Street, on which the Apostolic Church of God is located, is more appropriate.

For the past 105 years, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® (AKA) has consistently served the global community through dynamic international service programs designed to answer today’s social and economic challenges addressing issues related to Education, Leadership, Health, the Arts, Economics and Family. On March 6, 1982, our National President, Barbara Phillips, flanked by more than 500 of our members in hard hats, broke ground for Alpha Kappa Alpha’s state of the art multi-million dollar International Headquarters located at 5656 S. Stony Island Avenue. Known as the Ivy Center, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Corporate Office serves as the hub for the delivery of services and programs to communities all across the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Japan, Germany, South Korea, and on the continent of Africa. In 2012 alone, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. volunteered 1,219,579 hours, benefitted and served 12,810,513 persons and contributed 4.5 million dollars to communities that we serve.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. ® consists of over 975 chapters and 265,000 members across the globe. In Chicagoland alone, there are over 5,300 members and 17 graduate and undergraduate chapters. We are thrilled that our Beta Chapter is celebrating their 100 year anniversary today, October 8, 2013. In other words, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority has been providing service to Chicago communities for more than 100 years. We are indeed living up to our pledge of, “Service to All Mankind.”

Because of the historical significance of our current address and the financial burden a renaming of the street would cause to Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. ®, our partnering organizations, and the businesses located on Stony Island Avenue, we strongly oppose the Mayor’s proposal to rename Stony Island Avenue from 56th street to Calumet City.