RICHMOND
he Delta Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® located in Petersburg, VA has become the first chapter in the Commonwealth of Virginia to have a historical marker recognizing the significance of the graduate chapter itself, not an individual person or member.
The Board of Historical Resources met virtually on December 10, 2020, to vote to approve the historical veracity of several marker proposals. Delta Omega’s marker was included among six submissions in the Diversity Marker category. After a comprehensive process that began during the summer of 2020, the chapter realized a dream that had been a part of its almost 100-year history.
Dr. Colita Nichols Fairfax, Chairman of the Board of Historic Resource for the Commonwealth, and resident of Hampton, sent her congratulations to the Regional Director of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Jennifer King Congleton, as well.
“As Chairman of the State Board of Historic Resources, I am proud to announce that my Board approved the State of Virginia’s first state highway marker for a graduate chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha- Delta Omega!” The approval culminated a rigorous four-month process of determining the historical accuracy, language appropriateness and historical significance of the marker.
Once the marker is completed by the foundry, Delta Omega will have have a marker unveiling event, tentatively scheduled for spring 2021, as part of their year-long Centennial celebration, which begins in February 2021.
Dr. Renee Escoffery Torres, who serves as the historic chapter’s Centennial President, added, “Delta Omega Chapter, chartered in 1921, is the oldest graduate chapter of AKA on the East Coast. Today’s decision is the realization of a decades long dream. We are truly excited to share our time-honored history with the Commonwealth, and beyond.”
