[A Woman's HBCU Diploma and Important Conference Program].

Alabama and Arkansas: 1939-1940. 9” x 6” bifolium program and two 8” x 10¾” certificates in an 8¾” x 11” holder, faux red leather over boards, Tuskegee Institute gilt to front. About good: holder and all items lightly to moderately worn; old folds; toning to edges.

This is a small collection revealing educational activities and accomplishments of a young African American woman, Lola Lee Foster. It notably documents the constitutional convention of Alpha Kappa Mu, the Black Honor Society still active to this day.

The collection includes a certificate inducting Foster into Tuskegee's Honor Society in 1939, as well as the diploma for her earned Bachelor of Science degree in 1940. Also present is a program for the third annual convention of the “Conference of Scholastic Honorary Societies in Negro Colleges,” held at Arkansas State College in 1939. The New York Age and several other contemporary newspapers reported on this event: “Essentially an organization meeting, the group set up a national organization and drew up the framework on a constitution. It was voted that as a Greek-letter society, the national organization be known as the Alpha Kappa Mu Scholastic Honorary Society.”
Representatives from Howard, Dillard, Greensboro A&T, Xavier and other HBCUs were in attendance, and Lola Foster was elected national vice president. With a theme of “The Social Obligation of the Gifted Student,” the convention included committee reports and appointments, a morning of discussions and an evening social dance. This program was heavily annotated to “Lola Foster, Delegate” by close to 20 attendees, each of whom left their name, HBCU and location. We Googled a few of these names, and found that they went on to notable careers. The Atlanta Daily World the following year noted that “To be elected to Alpha Kappa Mu is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an undergraduate in a Negro college.”

Great documentation of a young woman's college career and an important Black organization. No evidence of the program was found in OCLC. Good. Item #9185

Price: $200.00