Twin Arches light up the sky in pink and green to mark the 100th anniversary of AKA Phi Omega chapter

On Wednesday, Feb. 14, the Phi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. the oldest graduate chapter in North Carolina, officially celebrated 100 years of service. Founding members, Adelaide Smith Turner, Audrey Williams, Maude Young Ray, Mamie Williams, and Marguerite Adams, started the chapter with the goal of providing $100 and $50 scholarships. Although a lot has changed since 1924, helping young women continue their education after high school is still a primary objective for the chapter, in addition to other programing that align with the sorority’s International Program Initiatives.  Since its inception, members of the Phi Omega Chapter have been trailblazers for civil rights and equality. Distinguished members and local leaders include: Virginia Newell and Vivian Burke, the first Black women elected to serve on the Winston-Salem City Council; Dr. Lillian Lewis, a professor of biology; the first Black person elected to the local school board, Dr. Geneva Brown, who opened Moore Laboratory School and served as principal for 19 years’ Earline Parmon, who served as a Forsyth County Commissioner for over a decade before being elected to the N.C. House of Representatives’ and Renee Phipps, the first Black City Secretary in Winston-Salem, among others. Phi Omega was...