Born Easter Sunday in 1879, Anna Easter Brown was one of the original nine founders who started the sorority on the campus of Howard University in 1908. More than a century later, their impact has shaped generations of African American women worldwide.
Years after graduation, Brown settled in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, where she taught African American students at what was then Booker T. Washington High School.
"When she closed that door, you knew she was ready to teach," said Brown's former student Katye Jenkins. "Ms. Brown didn't raise her voice. She didn't have to. If you were interrupting her class, she would say excuse me. Let whoever it is finish talking, and we'll continue with the lesson."
You'd think it happened yesterday, the way Jenkins, 103, recalled the story. She vividly remembers sitting in Brown's high school history class. Eyewitness News visited the building that used to be Booker T. Washington High School. The original structure is still standing.
"Ms. Anna Easter Brown taught at Booker T. Washington High School from 1926-1952, where she retired. Her room was upstairs, right up there where she taught all those years," said Helen Hines Hunter, who is a member of the sorority.
Brown's legacy is still woven into Rocky Mount. She taught Sunday school at Holy Hope Episcopal Church. Today, two historical markers stand in her honor. The first is located outside Unity Cemetery, where she is buried. The other is located along Atlantic Avenue, where her home once stood. She was a charter member of the YWCA and Chi Omega, which is one of the first graduate chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha in North Carolina.
"They encouraged higher education, especially for Black women, and would help them to accomplish their goals," said Josie Davis, who is a member of the sorority.
Josie Davis, 81, remembers watching Brown and her aunt serve the community together. A century later, Chi Omega remains steadfast in carrying the torch through scholarship and service.
"MLK One Day of Service. We did that this year, where we collected over 14,000 pieces of personal hygiene products that will go out into the community," said Chi Omega president Crystal Whitaker.
Each year, the chapter honors Brown's legacy with a wreath laying at the gravesite. It's where Eyewitness News met Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated's Mid-Atlantic Regional Director Nadine Vargas Stewart.
Eyewitness News spoke with Stewart about her feelings during the wreath laying.
"This is actually my first time being here. I feel like we're on sacred ground. You can feel the essence of our founders," said Stewart.
She added the legacy of Brown and the other founders of the sorority will live on for generations to come. For 118 years, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, has been making a global impact.