MADISON, Wis. — Fifty years after charter members first came together at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, generations of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority’s Kappa Psi Omega sisters are preparing to celebrate a legacy that has stretched far beyond campus life.
Inside the Black Business Hub, members of the chapter gathered to prepare for their upcoming Golden Anniversary Homecoming Weekend — while reflecting on decades of mentorship, leadership and community impact.
The chapter’s youngest Madison member, Natalie McDonald, snapped photos of older sorority sisters on her iPhone for an upcoming article in Umoja Magazine.
McDonald said documenting the women who helped shape the chapter — and Madison itself — felt deeply meaningful.
“I’m so excited to be spotlighting this in Umoja Magazine, which is the oldest Black-owned magazine here in Wisconsin,” McDonald said. “AKA has been a part of the magazine’s legacy for all of its existence. So I’m excited I get to highlight our story, highlight our chapter and the different ways we’ve contributed to the Madison community.”
Among the women gathered was Frances Huntley-Cooper, Wisconsin’s first Black mayor and a charter member of the UW-Madison AKA chapter.
The former Fitchburg Mayor said AKA membership has helped her hone her leadership skills; she said she is thrilled that she can help her fellow sorority sisters grow.
“You’re expected to work and contribute and shine,” Huntley-Cooper said. “I need to pass that torch on to them.”
Huntley-Cooper also helped mentor Leslie Petty, who went on to become the first Black woman to hold the highest-ranking leadership role at the UW School of Business. Today, Petty serves as dean of academic advancement at Madison College.
“I’m very, very grateful to our friendship, our sisterhood and the mentorship she’s given,” Petty said.
Current chapter president Stephanie Bradley Wilson — also a charter member and Madison Police’s first Black female lieutenant — said the upcoming anniversary is about honoring both the past and the future, as the women serve the community by offering service and scholarships.
“We are still here, that we’re viable and that we’re impactful,” Bradley Wilson said.
The Kappa Psi Omega chapter’s 50th anniversary homecoming celebration is scheduled from June 5 to 7. It includes a community tailgate at the Black Business Hub and a public homecoming block party at the Madison Marriott South.
