Executive Officers Epsilon Xi Omega
International 2022 - 2026
Initiatives
Strengthen Our Sisterhood Empower Our Families
Build Our Economic Wealth
Enhance Our Environment Advocate for Social Justice
Uplift Our Local Community
Words of Inspiration
Messages from our Basileus, and 1st Anti-Basileus
Celebrating Milestones
Silver, Golden, and Pearl Sorors take over the runaway
Chapter Events
Reflections and highlights from our chapter programs and committee events
2024 Ebony Pearls Season
Introducing our 2024 Ebony Pearls and Escorts
Activities, Announcements, and more..
Basileus SOROR EMMA TURNER
Sorors,
Do you think you could recognize sisterly acts of kindness? Do you think you display this kindness automatically without being promoted? Would you be willing to proactively perform some random acts of kindness for your sorors, including those whom you do not know well? The following exercise is designed to assist you. Good luck, hope you are successful in increasing the “My Acts Of Kindness” column”. Please bring your list to chapter meetings so we can thank you.
MY ACTS OF KINDNESS ACTS??
Join a chapter book club (or start one) to spend extra time with sorors who live alone and love visitors
Without being asked, drive a senior soror to a Senior luncheon
Give up your seat or place in line to senior soror
Escort a soror who is struggling to seat
Listen patiently to a soror with a story to tell
Send card and/or call a soror who is caregiver
Participate in taking a soror to church who is challenged while driving
Share rides to airport, bus, or train with a soror who is challenged with mobility
Cook a meal for soror who doesn’t cook much any more and bring it to chapter meeting for her to take home
Pack leftovers (if there are any) from our breakfast meal and give to a soror to take home
AKA-vibes fortheHeart
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.®
Epsilon Xi Omega Chapter
Meditation & Prayer
Soror Deborah Williams, Chaplain
Let’s begin with a poem entitled Thanksgiving Observance Author Unknown
Count your blessings instead of your crosses; Count your gains instead of your losses. Count your joys, instead of your woes; Count your friends, instead of your foes. Count your smiles, instead of your tears; Count your courage, instead of your fears. Count your full years, instead of your lean; Count your kind deeds, instead of your mean. Count your health, instead of your wealth; Count on God, instead of yourself.
Our Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, We come with hearts filled with thanksgiving as we count our many blessings. We thank you for health, strength, sound minds, service to others. We ask that you come into each heart an our sorors. We thank yo d and for the a give thanks together Mighty name, A
Build our Economic Wealth
Cheers Sorors!
Thank you for your support as we continue to “Build Our Economic Wealth by helping and supporting each other!
Recapping our three Chapter Focus Factors
EXO Sister Circles: The Circles have been designed to host workshops and discussions on topics such as: Starting your own business, setting up a Limited Liability Company (LLC), marketing, AI, branding, grants, social media masterclass, and more.
The FMO Credit Union: The May ‘24 Chapter Meeting marked our Enrollment Day! We started our “ I Signed Up” Campaign We will continue to have a sign up station at all chapter meetings and hold Zoom FMO informational and enrollment sessions. Thus far 40 Sorors have signed up with FMOCU! If you have not become an FMOCU member, join our sign up sessions asap.
Support our Soror Entrepreneurs' and Business Owners: Introducing of our New “EXO Pink Pages”! The Pink Pages were inspired from the old school Yellow Pages that many relied upon before the internet. Our committee is beyond proud to highlight our Soror business leaders in one convenient location, The EXO Pink Pages.
Cheers to continuous economic growth and our chapter’s sisterly support of one another in our business endeavors. We our beyond powerful.
Soror Roushaun Johnson- Chairman
Soror Felicia Kadima, Co Chairman
Welcome
Newly Re-activated Sorors
Sharon Apple
Lisa Bilal
Janella R. McElory
Olubusola Oke
Gail C. Parker
Tatiana Perkins
Adrienne Wilkerson
Charisse Winston
Shades of Pink Soror Antoinette Baucom
At the 95th Far Western Regional Conference of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Incorporated®,whichtookplaceinLos Angeles,California,on April19,2024,SororAntoinetteBaucom participatedinthe"WelcomeStroll"event. The event was held in the California BallroomoftheWestinBonaventureHotel andSuites
Therewereoverfortychaptersrepresented fromtheFarWesternregioninthestroll.To alargeextent,rehearsalswereheldatthe gymnasiumof alocalCaliforniaState Universityonaweeklybasisoveraperiodof twomonths.SororShannonFrancheall,a professionaldancerandtalentcoordinator, wasresponsibleforchoreographingthestroll andselectingacombinationofsong representedavarietyofmusicalart influencedbyWesternmusic
“Godgaveusauniquefingerprintthatnooneelsehas, sowecanmakeanimprintthatnooneelsecan.”
SororHelenV. Griffith
FIRST - ANTI BASILEUS
Sorors of Epsilon Xi Omega, I’m sure you’ve heard by now that our region has elected a new Far Western Regional Director to succeed the illustrious Soror Shelby D. Boagni, our 26th Far Western Regional Director. We celebrate, honor, and remember the excellence of Soror Shelby’s administration as we stand ready to soar under our new leadership.
In preparation for the election, attendees of the 95th Far Western Regional Conference had the opportunity to hear first-hand from each of the candidates running for the office of Regional Director. This year the candidates were:
Soror Nichole Starr Jordan, of Xi Gamma Omega Chapter, Oakland, California, Soror Victoria Morris Ivie, of Mu Epsilon Omega Chapter, Orange County, California, and Soror Shauna Graves Robertson, of Upsilon Beta Omega Chapter, Salt Lake City, Utah.
The candidate forum was led by the International Nominating Committee and moderated by the Chairman, Soror Nichole Wilson. The session was set up with several questions and each candidate was given 3 minutes to respond. Time keepers were present and at the end of the time allotment, the candidates were stopped to ensure presentation equity. Further, the questions were rotated to begin with a different candidate to provide fair access in responding. Soror Nichole Wilson moderated the following questions: How will you manage being in the role of the Regional Director along with your other life priorities? What ideas do you have for increasing fundraising and sponsorships, in order to offset conference and regional expenses? What is your plan to enhance the undergraduate experience in all facets of their Alpha Kappa Alpha life, and what unique talents will you bring to the role?
Each of the candidates spoke with poise and eloquence. Their responses were clear, thorough, and provided us with a glimpse into their unique style and personality.
The candidates were well-prepared and their delivery gave us a snapshot into their leadership perspectives and their personal Alpha Kappa Alpha brand. We all left the forum feeling like the Far Western Region would be in great hands with either of the three candidates. Overall, the forum was well-planned and executed. It provided the conference attendees with the opportunity to hear and weigh each of their messages as we moved to select the leader that we wanted to take our region to its next level of the phenomenal And on Saturday, April 20th, the region spoke, as Soror Nichole STARR Jordan received 53% of the vote becoming our 27th Far Western Regional Director. Soror Nicole’s vision is to “reenergize sorors in the region by creating a culture of inclusivity, showing up authentically, and using our collective STARR power to contribute in a meaningful way”
S
T A R R Power represents:
Strengthen our Sisterhood; Tap into Talent
Advance Fiscal Power
Reenergize Sorors, and
Ramp up Collaboration!
Her goals are to:
1) Empower sorors to contribute their skills and talents to the Far Western Region;
2) Proactively support sorors through all phases of life including undergraduate to graduate transition, motherhood, caregiver, and seasoned sorors; and
3) Build an infrastructure for cross chapter collaboration and sharing of best practices.
As we are led by the Spirit, we believe this administration will work to accomplish these goals and beyond As promised, Madam Regional Director-Elect cast a wide net to tap into “our” talents, skills, and abilities. EXO is one of the most talented chapters in the region and ready to shine in with our new administration. Therefore, we hope you completed The STARR Power survey to share your ideas for the regional brand and make your skills and talents known and available for regional service
Again, it's our time and our turn to join in the movement to soar to greater heights as the STARR Power engine is being assembled. The official ratification of our Regional Director will take place at the Boule` in July, 2024. When that moment happens, expect to see the sparks ignite a brilliant flame that will burn perpetually to impact the lives of those waiting for us in the Far Western region. Therefore, let’s saddle up Sorors of EXO: We ride at Dallas!
SOROR
LATISIA CARSON, M.D.
Heart health is very important for your health.
In a normal life, the heart beats about 2.5 billion times It is an amazing organ It's more than just a pump; it's the center of our lives, bringing oxygen and nutrients to every cell and protecting our health by getting rid of toxins. Its critical role shows how important heart health is for overall wellness.
Learning About Heart Health
Heart health means that the cardiovascular system, which includes the heart and blood vessels, is in good shape. A strong heart moves blood around the body well, making sure that tissues get the oxygen and nutrients they need. Heart disease, on the other hand, can lead to serious problems like heart attacks, strokes, and long-term conditions like high blood pressure and irregular heartbeats.
Keeping heart disease away
When it comes to heart disease, the saying "prevention is better than cure " is true. Here are a few important things you can do to protect your heart:
Stop smoking It hurts your heart and blood vessels. Quitting smoking immediately lowers the risk of heart disease by a huge amount.
Heart-Healthy Foods. Eat lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains, healthy fats, and lean proteins. Cut down on alcohol, salt, sugar, and processed carbs. Take good care of your heart and it will take good care of you.
SQUADS SOROR
EXO has 12 Soror Squads and participation among our 182 members is growing!
MEMBERSHIP MILESTONE RECOGNITION
TheSisterlyRelationsCommitteejoyfully celebratedEXO'snewestPearl,Golden, andSilverStarSororsduringanexuberant ceremonyattheApril13thChapter Meeting.
Asthe2024honoreesdanceddownthe runwaytoChakaKhan'sempowering anthem"I’mEveryWoman,"EXOsorors cheeredandclapped.Inadditiontobeing crownedwithatiara*befittingtheir membershipmilestone,thehonoredsorors werefeaturedinaslideshow,presented withabeautifulpageantbouquetofpink andwhiteflowers*,andeachreceiveda commemorativemilestonecertificate.
ThreeillustriousPearlSororswere recognizedfor65yearsofmembershipin AlphaKappaAlphaSorority,Inc®. SororLaVerneBrown,initiatedinthe BetaPiChapteratAlabamaState University;SororErnestineLittlejohn, initiatedintheBetaMuChapteratWayne StateUniversity;andSororIreneOutlaw, initiatedintheAlphaIotaChapterat LincolnUniversity.Eachofthembecame membersofourbelovedsisterhoodin 1959.
ThejoyouseventalsohonoredtwoGoldenSorors: SororRitaMonteiro,initiatedintheBetaEtaChapteratTheUniversityof MichiganandSororShirleyWilson,initiatedin EpsilonXiOmegaChapter.TheseGoldenSororsmarkedtheir50thanniversary ofsisterhoodandservicewhichbeganin1974.Radiantingorgeousattire,they werecrownedwithacommemorativegoldandpearltiara*.
Our Newest Silver Star, Soror Christine Antoine shimmered from head to toe in her spectacular silver attire. She was initiated in the Mu Iota Chapter at The University of San Diego in 1999.
Soror Christine was crowned with a silver crystal tiara* to celebrate 25 years in the sisterhood.
EXO's newest Pearl, Golden, and Silver Star Sorors truly personify the enduring principles and radiant spirit of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®.
All Tiaras and flowers were purchased at Black-owned businesses*.
ENHANCE OUR ENVIRONMENT
Aneventcelebratingabountifulharvestwassponsoredbythe EnhancingOurEnvironmentCommitteeandheldduringourMaychapter meeting.Sororsharvestedthebountyfromtheirnumerousorganichome gardensandbroughttothechaptermeetingtoshare.
Sororswereabletochoosefromavarietyoffreshfruits,vegetables, herbs,andsucculentstotakehomeandsharewiththeirfamily.
SororKathyWhite,ChairmanofEnhanceourEnvironmentInitiativefurnished uswithinformationregardingthecorrectmethodforcomposting fooditemsaswellasstrategiestoavoidunwantedodorsassociated withtheprocess. Shealsoprovideduswithinformationregardingthe treeplantingprogramsthroughoutbySanDiegoCounty.
MU IOTA MAKING AN IMPACT
Sisterly Yours SUNDAYTEA
The annual Sisterly Yours Afternoon Tea was a Sophisticated Affair. A host of 53 sorors gathered at The Aubrey Rose Tea Room in La Mesa on Sunday, February 25, 2024 from 2:00pm - 4:00pm Sorors were dressed to the nines and looked oh so pretty in their elegant attire, fancy shoes, and fascinator hats.
EXO graciously hosted 5 Inactive Sorors, 2 Mu Iota Undergrads, and 2 General Members.
Sorors indulged in this timeless tradition surrounded by beautiful British Tea Room interiors We enjoyed delicate tea sandwiches, soup, fruit, homemade savories, and pastries The large selection of fine, loose leaf teas were delectable.
It was a memorable afternoon of sisterly fellowship, intimate conversations, games, and a fabulous fashion show Sorors had a fun time working together to solve an AKA themed word scramble game and the highly anticipated fashion show was the star of the afternoon There were 17 Sorors who strutted down the Fashion Show runway to Madonna’s "Vogue" and Mary J’s "Just Fine"
Soror Louise Labrie Sisterly Yours Committee Chairman
There were 4 fashion winners. In 1st place, Mu Iota Soror Regena Gomes. 2nd place, Soror Ashlee Sherman and a 3rd Place tie with, Soror Jasmine Bee and Soror Annette Weathington In a random act of kindness, Soror Jasmine gave the prize to Soror Annette since there were only 3 prizes available. For that kindness, we awarded Soror Jasmine her prize at a later date.
It was a joy to see sorors reconnect with those they had not seen in a while and to see sorors meeting new members of the sisterhood. It was an uplifting, soulfilling experience as we gathered together. The sisterly love was palpable.
Sorors of EXO’s Sisterly Yours Committee:
Louise Labrie, Chairman Felicia Kadima, Co-Chairman
Hollie Davis-Allen Jamaela Johnson
Roushaun Johnson
Angela Rickman
April Kendricks
Robyn Thomas
2024EbonyPearlsYouth LeadershipAcademy
On March 16, 2024, one of San Diego County’s most elegant affairs took place inside the Hilton Bayfront Hotel. We celebrated 17 ravishing, beautiful, and well-rounded young ladies who completed the 2024 Ebony Pearls Youth Leadership Academy. The theme of this year ’ s Academy was, Ebony Pearls…”A Mystique Affair: The Tale of an Enchanted Pearl.” This was the 68th year of the Academy and the culminating ball brought together some of the most notable members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®, esteemed dignitaries, and community leaders. All attendees were all dressed in extravagant gowns and tuxedos, each to match their own personal style. The event space and decor of the ballroom reflected the theme of Once Upon A Time and included a tealit, white floral carriage to honor the beauty of each Ebony Pearl.
This year ’ s General Ball Chairman, Soror Shawanda K. McGuire and General Co-Chairman, Soror Tara Cador Turner did a remarkable job setting the tone for the season ’ s leadership academy. President of The Ebony Pearls Foundation of San Diego, Ms. Mary Castleberry, and the President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®, Epsilon Xi Omega Chapter, Soror Emma Turner opened the event with congratulatory remarks.
The Master of Ceremonies was Dr. Richard Vernon Moore and the Mistress of Ceremonies was our 25th Far Western Regional Director, Soror Carol R. Dixon. These two did a phenomenal job presenting our 2024 Ebony Pearls, and all of our program participants. Each Ebony Pearl’s bio was read commemorating her future college choice, career goals, her mentors, and those who have inspired her along the way. As the escorts received each Ebony Pearl, the long awaited Waltz began, choreographed by Soror Debbie Hedgren and assisted by Soror Katelyn Griffith-Mencik. This dance, which transcends history was so elegantly performed and accompanied by our accomplished pianist, Soror Louise Pearson. The event was topped off with a Special Awards Presentation, memorable photo opportunities, and a time to dance the night away. We look forward to the next season of the Ebony Pearls Youth Leadership Academy and another spectacular culminating event.
Photo Gallery
