'Within arm’s reach'

As a child growing up in Augusta, my superheroes and role models didn’t appear on television or the big screen.

Instead, they were within arm’s reach. Eventually, I would learn the true length of its extension when my life depended on them.

They were women of elegance, grace and culture.  These women didn’t deem themselves to be celebrities.  But, in my eyes they were larger than life.

Their stages were not in coliseums or concert halls, instead, they appeared in front of classrooms, churches and business offices.  They carried torches that ignited sparks of hope in the community through volunteerism while blazing trails of empowerment for those who followed in their path.

These women were members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

My earliest experience with women of this great organization was my mother’s high school teacher Mrs. Marjorie Carter.

She was inducted into the Alpha Chapter at Howard University in 1925 following the footsteps of her two sisters who became members of the same chapter in 1920 and 1921.

Mrs. Carter was an intelligent, soft spoken woman with beautiful caramel skin and the kindest eyes possessed by any human being.

I can’t recall seeing her without a single strand of pearls around her neck.  She had a brilliant mind that assisted her in earning a degree in pharmaceutical chemistry from Howard.

Because there were so few opportunities for female pharmacists in the Augusta area, she continued her studies locally in education and pursued a second career as a teacher.

Mrs. Carter was a proponent of education and each visit with her was punctuated by questions regarding schooling.

She was a constant encourager who didn’t allow societal obstacles against women of color to prevent her from providing the chance to help improve lives through education.

Many teenage girls would get excited about going to a concert or seeing a celebrity.  I was always overjoyed when my mother took me to see Mrs. Carter.

While my mother was teaching me to become a woman, the members of Alpha Kappa Alpha were teaching me how to be a lady.

Many of the members of the sorority were advisors for the Augusta Adult Society, which provided mentoring for local African American teen girls.

The group fosters opportunities and resources for the girls to volunteer in their community.  For many girls, this was an introduction of sorts on the importance of helping others.

A debutante cotillion culminated after two years in the group.  In my city, this provided an opportunity that never existed in previous years for African American teens -- to be presented to society.

Those advisors shaped my life and instilled strength, self-esteem and unparalleled leadership skills. Each played an integral part in my development.

However, when I am put in a position to lead or tackle seemingly difficult tasks, I think about Augusta Adult Society advisor Ella Springs Jones, who would become the sorority’s South Atlantic Region Director.

She is a woman who has faced obstacles with her head high and an unyielding determination.  Her voice is strong and her resolve unshakeable.  Her influence in my life is unforgettable.

Regardless of how much time that has passed since being under her tutelage, I will never forget the foundation of leadership, volunteerism, culture and strength upon which thousands of debs and I have built our lives.

When I entered Fisk University in Nashville, the women of Alpha Kappa Alpha exuded the same characteristics of those who were already a strong force in my life.

At Fisk, the AKAs were members of Pi Chapter, which carried a strong reputation of intelligence, elegance, beauty, and grace.

The women of Pi Chapter stood on the shoulders of great leaders like Hazel O’Leary, who was the first and only African American, and woman, to serve as U.S. Secretary of Energy; Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (D-Florida); Alma Powell, the wife of Gen. Colin Powell; and countless other sisters who have assumed leadership roles around the world.

In April of 1990, I was honored to begin my journey into this esteemed sisterhood through initiation into Pi Chapter and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

I was also following in the footsteps of my sister, Dr. Dawn B. Griffin, who was initiated into Mu Pi at Spelman College.

Her devotion to helping others and her strong leadership skills have positioned Dawn to hold several regional positions within the sorority, as well as her current position as president of Atlanta’s Nu Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha.

Through her service and deep-rooted dedication, she continues to exemplify the meaning of our sorority’s service to all mankind.

Since childhood, the sisterhood of Alpha Kappa Alpha has played a special role in my life by way of the mentoring and guidance by its members but it was enhanced throughout my career as a television news anchor and reporter.

Sorority sisters always extended a helping hand to usher me into new communities and paved the way for optimal opportunities to serve.

But, the sisterhood was most important and apparent five years ago when I became the victim of domestic violence.

I was living in Boston, far from home, and at the mercy of my then husband.  Alone and fearful with a five-week-old baby, I didn’t have anywhere to turn except toward my sorority sisters.

While waiting for my sister and mother to come, sorority sister Nicole Hudson – whom I had become friends with years earlier when I was living in Memphis -- stayed with me until my family arrived the next day.

That morning, another sorority sister Kimberly Thurmond Bowdre -- who was also a fellow debutante sister from our days in Augusta -- came to help pack my car for the trip back to Georgia.

The sisterhood instilled from prior years became a source of help and strength when I needed it the most.

I still remember them standing and waving as we pulled away that day.  Silently, the words to our sorority’s national hymn, “we help each other for we know there is no other,” played through my mind.

On that day, those words took on new meaning.

Superheroes. Role Models. Family. Sisters.

Always within arm’s reach.

As Alpha Kappa Alpha continues launching new dimensions of service and expanding boundaries, I’m grateful for the ability to pass along a powerful and meaningful torch that was lit in my life at an early age as well as the extent of its reach.

Today that same torch is shining a light of help and hope in so many lives around the world.

Due to our sisterhood and dedication its light will never dim.