The Ivy The Ivy Vine
OCTOBER 2026 | VOL. 18
b b o o t t e c c r O E e d itt h T T
A Month For Fresh Thoughts and Slower Moments
www.akaago1927.com
Dear Sorors, Dear Sorors,
Happy 99th Anniversary, Alpha Gamma Omega! As we celebrate 99 years of Alpha Gamma Omega, we are reminded that our story is so much bigger than a date on a calendar. It is a story of vision, courage, service, resilience, and most importantly sisterhood. On Saturday, October 1, 1927, 11 courageous women came together to establish what would become a chapter whose influence would reach generations. Dr. Alice Garrott, Coty Johnson, Edith Jones, Louise Kenner, Leola Lewis, Nadia McCullough, Ursula Murrell, Ruth M. Pearson, Dr. Vada Summerville, Neosha Tatum, and Minnie Wickliffe planted a seed nearly a century ago, and today we continue to nurture the beautiful legacy they created. From those humble beginnings, Alpha Gamma Omega has grown into a strong and vibrant sisterhood. For 99 years, our sorors have stepped forward to serve, lead, educate, advocate, mentor, and uplift. Each generation has left its mark, while adding another chapter to a story that continues to unfold. As we celebrate this milestone, we also recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We honor our survivors, stand beside those currently in the fight, and lovingly remember our sorors and loved ones who are no longer with us. Their strength and courage are forever woven into the fabric of our sisterhood. Sorors, 99 years deserves to be celebrated! Our AGO Pre-Centennial Day Party is just around the corner, and tickets are available now! Join us on Saturday, October 10, from 2:00–6:00 p.m. at our historic Alpha Gamma Omega House for an afternoon of music, lite bites, fellowship, and laughter.
Parking is limited at St. Agnes Church, 2625 Vermont Avenue, LA, CA 90007, so we encourage everyone to carpool or rideshare. A shuttle will pick up from the church to provide transportation to and from the AGO House, making it easy for everyone to join us and enjoy the celebration. I truly hope to see everyone at the event. Let’s come together, celebrate the women who came before us, honor the legacy we have inherited, and enjoy the sisterhood we share today. 99 Years Strong. 99 Years of Sisterhood. 99 Years of Alpha Gamma Omega.
In Servicce and Sisterhood, Soror Lynette K. Brooks
Lynette K. Brooks Basileus, Alpha Gamma Omega RECHARGE by Connection: Powered by Sisterhood and Service
Tea R ses National Voter Registration Day was a great opportunity to partner with Mu Lambda Omega and The Links Inc to get the community to register and vote in November. Thank you to Soror Stephany Powell, Advocate for Social Justice Chairman and Soror Melissia Buckhalter-Honore, Co-Chairman for organizing the partnership and registering people to vote. We look forward to more events as we get closer to November 3rd. Thank you to everyone who volunteered, picked up trash and enjoyed the sisterly fun at GreenWell 2026. It was a wonderful weekend for connection and sisterly engagement. Thanks for the collaboration between Soror Angelle Brooks-Bell, Enhance our Environment Chairman, Soror Bahiya Wright, Membership Chairman, and Soror Daina Washington, Sisterly Relations Chairman. You all ROCK! Thank you for your collaborative spirit. Special thanks to Soror Kimberly GreenRussell for being one of our contacts for the event. Leadership Development Workshop was outstanding. Tea Roses to Soror Laureen Bryant-Kenneybrew and Soror Caprice Grigsby-Smith for an informative and interactive workshop. I appreciate your service and support throughout many administrations. Special thanks to Soror Kimberly Littlejohn, Soror Anita Morris, Soror Daina Washington, Soror Rakisha Washington, and Soror Raquel Washington for assisting with the clean up at the AGO House in preparation for the Day Party. Thanks for spending your Sunday afternoon ensuring the house will be ready. Our Soror Squad Leaders: Soror Lisa Adams, Soror Marie Kendricks, and Soror Clarice Kavanaugh. Thank you for fulfilling the mission of keeping our members connected. I appreciate your commitment to your squads and look forward to many more activities. Together, we continue to make AGO Accomplished, Gracious, and Outstanding!
mm ma am a a O G G Om a a h h me p p eg l l ga a A A
err Meeting ptte ap ha Ch Upcoming: October 3, 2026 Holman United Methodist Church Holman 3320 W. Adams Blvd. 3320 Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA CA 90018 90018
8:45am - Social | 10:00am - Meeting
ha Gamma Omega p l A t t iin n e e g g e S M c r h e e t d p u u a a lle h h e C C
m a m a G O a h p m l ega A October 3, 2026 October Chapter Meeting
November 7, 2026 December 5, 2026 (Joint Meeting)
m m m m a a a a G G Om O a a h h me p p eg l l ga a A A
ng 2026 Host iin t t e e e e M ess L r e t p p a a ist h h C C
October 2026
Nneze Chuksorji-Young - Chairman Lakisha Evans-Clark Karen Ragland Cole Dana C. Coleman
October October
Birthday Sorors 10/3 Shirley 10/3 Shirley Bass Bass 10/6 10 10/6 /6 Candyce Candyce Simpson-Pecot Simpson-Pecot 10/9 10 10/9 /9 Alexis Alexis Reliford Reliford 10/11 10 10/11 /11 Antoinette Antoinette Morehead Morehead 10/15 10 10/15 /15 Evelyn Evelyn Owens Owens 10/15 10 10/15 /15 Marguerite Marguerite Ross Ross 10/16 Grace 10/16 Grace W. W. Cain Cain 10/16 Kennedy 10/16 Kennedy Long Long L ong 10/20 10 10/20 /20 Kai Kai Jennings Jennings 10/22 10 10/22 /22 Kahlila Kahlila Williams Williams 10/23 Ryan 10/23 Ryan Christian Christian 10/27 Christine 10/27 Christine Chr istine Baccus Baccus
Sisterly Sisterly
REMINDERS Meeting Attendance and Sign In Meeting Attendance and Sign In
Remember to sign in at each monthly chapter meeting. You can do this by scanning the checking-in with or contacting the Anti-Grammateus, Soror Alvina Heard at alvina_heard@yahoo.com. Your attendance is very important.
Chapter Announcements Chapter Announcements
Chapter announcement forms are available to pick up from the Anti-Grammateus and must be submitted to Soror Alexis Reliford, Epistoleus before the announcement segment of meeting.
Event Recaps & Photos Event Recaps & Photos
Committee Chairmen, please upload your pictures and event recap to the AGO Google Drive.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® Alpha Gamma Omega Chapter
October 2026 Calendar Mon
Tues
Wed
Thurs 11
Fri 2
ALPHA GAMMA OMEGA 99TH ANNIVERSARY
Sat 3
Sun 4
DAY PARTY ASSEMBLY PARTY 1PM-3PM
CHAPTER MEETING @HOLMAN 8:30AM SOCIAL HOUR 10AM CHAPTER MEETING
IB MTG @ AGO HOUSE 3PM
10
11
4
5
WAYS & MEANS COMMITTEE MTG. 7PM
6
7
NOMINATING COMM. MTG.
HBCU COMM. MTG 6PM
7PM
BUILD OUR ECONOMIC WEALTH COMM. MTG. 7PM
8
9
AGO PRECENTINNEAL DAY PARTY @AGO HOUSE 2PM
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® Alpha Gamma Omega Chapter
October 2026 Calendar Mon
Tues
12 12
13
COLUMBUS DAY
HOSTESS COMM. MTG. 7PM
PURCHASING COMM. MTG. 6:30PM
19
20
HOUSING COMM. MTG. 7PM
Wed 14
SISTERLY RELATIONS MTG. 7PM
21
PROGRAM MTG 6:30PM
Thurs 15
Fri 16
Sat 17
18
IB MTG. @AGO HOUSE
MEMBERSHIP COMM. MTG. 7PM
22
Sun
23
24
BOEW - BUY BLACK DAY
25
EOF - YLI MONTHLY MTG.
S.O.S. AGO BOOK CLUB (ZOOM) 2PM
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® Alpha Gamma Omega Chapter
October 2026 Calendar Mon 26
Tues 27
SOROR 2 SOROR 7PM
Wed 28
Thurs 29
Fri 30
Sat
Sun
31
SOCIAL JUSTICE WORKSHOP
HALLOWEEN
IVY HERITAGE COMM. MTG. 6:30PM
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thurs
Fri
Sat
Sun
a l i n p a ’ s h C C o r O n G er A
The Sacred Significance of 99: Celebrating 99 Years of Alpha Gamma Omega “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?” — Luke 15:4 (NRSV) Sorors, 99 years. As Alpha Gamma Omega Chapter approaches our 99th anniversary, we have an extraordinary opportunity not simply to celebrate another year, but to reflect upon what it means for an institution of Black women to have endured, served, grown, and remained rooted in Los Angeles for nearly a century. On October 1, 1927, eleven visionary members chartered Alpha Gamma Omega Chapter. Think about the world those Black women inhabited. They planted this Ivy before the Great Depression, before the modern Civil Rights Movement, before Brown v. Board of Education, before the Voting Rights Act, and during an era when both racism and sexism attempted to prescribe where Black women could live, work, learn, lead, and even dream. And yet—they organized. They served. They built. They endured. And because they did, we are here. Every decade since has brought its own trials and triumphs. Generations of Alpha Gamma Omega women have witnessed economic depression and economic progress, segregation and civil-rights victories, war and peace, social upheaval and cultural renaissance. Through changing neighborhoods, changing politics, changing technology, and changing generations, the commitment to Service to All Mankind has remained. That makes Alpha Gamma Omega more than a chapter. We are an institution in Los Angeles. We inherited something precious, and for this season, God has entrusted its stewardship to us. There is something especially meaningful about arriving at 99. In Luke 15, Jesus tells us about a shepherd with one hundred sheep who discovers that one is missing. The shepherd leaves the ninety-nine and searches for the one until it is found. Perhaps there is a message in that for us as we celebrate 99 years. The strength of the 99 should never cause us to forget the one. Who is the one Soror who needs to be called? Who is the one member who no longer feels connected? Who is the one young woman who needs mentoring? Who is the one family in Los Angeles that needs our service? Who is the one voice that has not been heard? Who is the one person standing outside the fold whom God is calling us to reach?
Soror Dilara Üsküp, Chaplain
a l i n p a ’ s h C C o r O n G er A
The Sacred Significance of 99: Celebrating 99 Years of Alpha Gamma Omega Our 99 years should not simply make us proud of how many have gathered inside the fold. They should challenge us to keep looking outward. And there is another powerful biblical connection to 99. Genesis 17 tells us that Abraham was 99 years old when God appeared to him and renewed the covenant, declaring that Abraham would become the ancestor of many nations. At 99, God was not finished. At 99, there was still promise ahead. At 99, there was still territory to cover. At 99, there were still generations yet unborn who would benefit from a covenant being faithfully carried forward. And perhaps that is God's reminder to Alpha Gamma Omega as we stand at 99: We are not finished. We honor the eleven women who planted the Ivy in 1927. We honor every Soror who watered it across these nine decades. We honor those whose names we know and those whose service may never appear in a history book. We honor the shoulders upon which we stand. But now it is our turn to tend the Ivy. As we approach 100, let us not merely ask how we will celebrate our history. Let us ask what history we are creating for the women who will come after us. May the next 99 years find Alpha Gamma Omega still serving Los Angeles, still empowering women and girls, still strengthening families, still advocating for justice, still cultivating sisterhood, and still answering the needs of our community. May a Soror celebrating our 198th anniversary in 2125 be able to look back upon us and say: They protected what they inherited. They expanded what they were given. They remembered the one. And they left the Ivy stronger for us. For 99 years, God has kept us. For 99 years, generations of women have carried the torch. And as we stand on the threshold of a century, may we give thanks for where we have been while boldly preparing for where God is calling us next. Here’s to the first 99—and by God's grace, another 99 more.
✨⚡️🙏🏽🤲🏽
Blessings Beloved! Sincerely sisterly yours,
Soror Dilara Üsküp, Chaplain
Upcoming October Upcoming October
AGO EVENTS AND INITIATIVES
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® Alpha Gamma Omega Chapter & The Ivy Heritage Foundation
PLEDGE DRIVE
FUNDRAISER March - October
Support the sisters of Alpha Gamma Omega by giving to our Scholarship & Programming Campaign!
Payment Options: Zelle (donatetihf@theivyheritagefoundation.org) Cash Checks (made payable to: theivyheritagefoundation) P.O. Box 452658 Los Angeles, CA 90045
Chapter Chapter
ANNOUNCEMENTS
AGO PRAYER CALL
Spiritual Oversight Committee Thursdays at Noon During July and August our AGO Prayer Call was offered on Sundays at 9pm. Thank you to the Sorors who led: Maria Dudley, Sheila Faulk, Kimberly Green Russell, Latricia Mitchell, Dilara Uskup Morgan, September Penn, and me (Margaret/Button McCauley). In September the AGO Prayer Call returned to Thursdays at Noon. Please join us as you are able. Also, you may email your Prayer Request or your Praise Report to spiritualoversight@akaago1927.com.
Please join us as you are able.
THESE SORORS ARE OUR LEADERS IN SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER
September 17 Kathy Harrison 24 Hattie McFrazier
October 1
Dilara Uskup Morgan
8
September Penn
15 Kimberly Green Russell 22 Sheila Faulk
And we welcome you to lead by calling Soror Margaret/Button. LEAD A CALL
213-595-6265
29 Margaret McCauley
PRAYER REQUESTS & PRAISE REPORTS
spiritualoversight@akaago1927.com
Congratulations to Soror Ebony Durham ON THE ARRIVAL OF HER BEAUTIFUL TWIN GIRLS!
🎀
Emani & Essence
Emani NagilaNeshua Gima
Essence NaswaSherri Gima
Born September 23, 2026
Born September 23, 2026
6 lbs 9 oz | 19 inches
6 lbs | 19 inches
💕
Both girls are healthy and doing well. Please join us in sending love, prayers, and support to Soror Durham and her family as they welcome Emani and Essence into the world. FOR ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT THE FAMILY DURING THIS TRANSITION:
Amazon Baby Registry: Meal Train: https://mealtrain.com/g527re
Ebony Durham’s Baby Registry
https://www.amazon.com/baby-re g/ebony-durham-october-2026-ingl ewood/29KQYX6SI0XT0?ref_=cm _sw_r_apin_dp_DZ4N0NZ6H2T5B JBGDT19&language=en-US
Sorors, let’s surround her growing family with so much love.
Healing Hands & Healing Hands & Healing Hearts Healing Hearts
Healing Hands & Healing Hearts Please keep these Sorors in your thoughts and prayers:
Soror Brenda Soror Brenda Richards Richards Soror Doris Soror Doris Fork Fork
Soror Marguerite Soror Marguerite Phillips Phillips a
Soror Evelyn Soror Evelyn Owens Owens
Soror Janice Soror Janice Hutto Hutto Johnson Johnson Soror Claire Soror Claire Chisholm Chisholm
Soror June Soror June Bleavins Bleavins
Soror Reba Soror Reba Cox Cox Long Long Soror Barbara Soror Barbara Morgan Morgan Soror Chere Soror Chere Talbert Talbert
Soror Brooke Soror Brooke Moore Moore White White Soror Wanda Soror Wanda Fielding Fielding
Soror Betty Soror Betty Graves Graves
Soror Agatha Soror Agatha Lang Lang
Soror Erma Soror Erma Grigsby Grigsby
Soror Laureen Soror Laureen Bryant Bryant Kennybrew Kennybrew Soror Elizabeth Soror Elizabeth Benton Benton
Soror Tommie Soror Tommie Campbell Campbell
Soror Antoinette Soror Antoinette Morehead Morehead
e this Oct n i h S ober ’s t e L
t e h n i i s h O S c t s o ’ b t er e L
S
S eeee Y ! ! n n o o Yoouu S Soo
The Ivy Vine OCTOBER 2026 | VOL. 18 Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® Alpha Gamma Omega Chapter