Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated
®
Gamma Zeta Omega Chapter
Miami, Florida | Est. 1940
About Us
Gamma Zeta Omega Chapter
Gamma Zeta Omega Chapter was chartered on April 27, 1940, in Miami, Florida, by eight civic-minded, professional African-American women. The chapter has the signal single honor of being the first graduate chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha chartered in the state of Florida and the first graduate chapter of a Black Greek- lettered organization chartered in Miami. For more than eight decades, our members have provided educational, health, social, and cultural services to the residents of Miami-Dade County without interruption. Presently, more than 400 members continue to fulfill Alpha Kappa Alpha's mission to render “service to all mankind” through volunteerism and by partnering with other community-based organizations and businesses in the north central and northern areas of Miami-Dade County.
A Message From
Our President
Dr. Martha Johnson-Rutledge
President, Gamma Zeta Omega Chapter
2022-2023
Greetings and thank you for visiting our website. I am honored to serve as the forty-sixth President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®, Gamma Zeta Omega Chapter. On April 27, 1940, Gamma Zeta Omega Chapter was chartered at the home of Dorothy Edwards in Brownsville (Miami), FL. Gamma Zeta Omega has the distinction of being the oldest graduate chapter in the state of Florida.
We have provided service to Miami-Dade County for the past eighty-two years via the volunteer efforts of our 400+ membership. In collaboration with many community partners and our non-profit arm, Women Involved in Service to Humanity (W.I.S.H.) Foundation, Inc., we are committed to providing “service to all mankind.” Our chapter supports graduating high school seniors by awarding scholarships in various amounts including our signature scholarship the Jeanetta A. Gill four-year scholarship.
We invite you to visit our website to discover how to attend our programs or to learn about opportunities to volunteer with is. Our deep bonds of sisterhood welcome any member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® looking to affiliate with a graduate chapter in South Florida. We welcome you to share your talents with us.
Serving with Love and Gratitude,
Martha Johnson-Rutledge
Her
Story
Chapter
Leadership
Gamma Zeta Omega Chapter was chartered April 27, 1940, in Miami, Florida. Charter members were Dorothy Wright Edwards, Jeanetta A. Gill, Ethel A. Grice, Harriet Twine Hart, Madeleine Douglas Portier, Ida Taylor Ratcliffe, Dolores Bethel Reynolds and Sara Scott Stewart.
In 1935, Ida Taylor Ratcliffe had a burning desire to form a graduate chapter in Miami. She contacted national headquarters and learned that eight graduate sorors with credentials were needed to form a chapter. Ida, an efficient leader, began working to locate sorors.
Five years later, Gamma Zeta Omega became the sorority’s first graduate chapter in the state of Florida and the first graduate chapter of a Black Greek-letter sorority in Miami. The dynamic charter members pushed Gamma Zeta Omega forward despite stinging obstacles, such as segregation and discrimination.
Now, forward eight decades, presently entering its 82nd year and 45 chapter Presidents later, Gamma Zeta Omega is supported by an invigorated membership exceeding 400, which continues to provide outstanding service to the Miami-Dade County community and beyond.
The Chapter and several members have distinguished themselves locally, regionally and nationally:
_webp.png)
_webp.png)