Alpha Beta
(Atlanta University)
Alpha Beta of Atlanta University
Chapter structure began in the fall of 1923.
Kappa Omega, A.K.A was the sponsoring chapter.
Hilda Johnson Evans was the official organizer.
Women from Atlanta University's classes of 1923 and 1924 became members of Alpha Kappa Alpha through the Kappa Omega chapter.
Official Chartering Date (fully undergraduate) December 12, 1925.
The chapter had to be dissolved as Atlanta University transitioned to a graduate school.
The chapter was officially completed for transfer in 1933.
The sorority was growing so rapidly in this time period, that the Alpha Beta was re-issued to a new chapter in Emporia, Kansas.
Page Updated: 01/05/2025
Creation to Organization
Hilda Johnson Evans
The Kappa Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. served as the sponsoring chapter for Atlanta University’s Alpha Beta Chapter. Shortly after Kappa Omega was officially established in March 1923, the chapter began the process of fulfilling the requirements to charter Atlanta University’s first fully undergraduate sorority.
Hilda Johnson Evans, a former member of Gamma Omega Chapter, led this effort as the official organizer, a role comparable to a regional director. Evans had transferred her membership to Kappa Omega in 1923 after her husband, Alpha J.B. Evans, accepted a position at Citizens Trust Bank. Her dedication to the sorority extended beyond the chapter’s official chartering, as she continued to serve as the group’s advisor. Evans played an instrumental role in mentoring and initiating Atlanta University’s Honor students into the Alpha Kappa Alpha sisterhood. The women selected for membership began their intake process in 1923, marking the start of a legacy of academic excellence and leadership.
Charter members of Alpha Beta. (Atlanta University)
Julia M Cardoza was born on the campus of Tuskegee University as the daughter of two college professors. Cardoza was elected as the first vice president & dean of Ivies of the Alpha Beta Chapter. She brought in ten initiates in February of 1926. (Spouse: Dr. William Cardoza, Alpha)
Bernyce A McIntosh was the "Songbird" of the school & became a social worker who came to live in Washington DC. She married Pharmacist J. McIntosh and they created Alpha woman Jodana McIntosh.
Alpha Beta's first treasurer was Grace Town Hamilton. Grace's father was a professor at Atlanta University and as a result she was raised on the campus in the city too busy to hate.
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Nellie M. Hamilton was Alpha Beta's first secretary and was born into a realty dynasty of Georgia. Her parents were Alexander D. Hamilton Sr. and Nellie Marie Cooke Hamilton, & Hamilton herself was a distinguished alumna of Atlanta University.
Annye S. Hill was reared in a family of hardworking proprietors. She was destined to be an intelligent young woman who spearheaded a series of firsts for black women all over the country.
Cecilia M Mercer was Alpha Beta's first president, her nuanced interracial ancestry created within her an intricate legacy. This legacy was marked heavily by slavery, their intellectual pursuits, dedication to education, and ingenuity and more than prepared her for the role.