Marjorie Arizona Hill (May 1886 – December 17, 1910) was an American educator and one of the nine founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. at Howard University.[1][2] Alpha Kappa Alpha was the first sorority to be founded by African-American women.

Marjorie Hill
Born
Marjarie Arizona Hill

May 1886
Arizona, U.S.
DiedDecember 17, 1910(1910-12-17) (aged 24)
Burial placeWoodlawn Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)
EducationHoward University
OccupationTeacher
Known forFounding Alpha Kappa Alpha

Early life edit

Hill was born in Arizona in 1886. Her parents were Florence and George Hill.[2][citation needed] She lived in Washington, D.C. in her early life.[3] She attended M Street High School, graduating in 1904 alongside Margaret Flagg Holmes.[4]

Hill enrolled the School of Arts and Sciences at Howard University in the fall of 1904.[1] On January 15, 1908, she and Holmes became founding members of Alpha Kappa Alpha, along with seven other female students.[1] Hill was noted for her involvement in the sorority's day-to-day operations.[1]

She graduated from Howard in 1908 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in pedegogy and political science.[1][5]

Career edit

In October 1908, Hall became a teacher at Morgan College in Lynchburg, Virginia.[1]

Personal life edit

Hill moved from Washington, D.C. to Lynchburg, Virginia in October 1908.[1] In 1909, she visited the Howard University campus with her sorority sister, Lucy Diggs Stowe.[1]

Hill died on December 17, 1910.[2][6] She was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Washington D.C.[7][8]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Ross, Lawrence C. (2019-08-27). The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities. Kensington Books. p. 269. ISBN 978-1-4967-2888-3 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b c "Hill". Evening Star. Washington, D.C. 1911-12-17. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls.[1]
  4. ^ "School Promotions". Evening Star. Washington, D.C. 1904-06-22. p. 12. Retrieved 2023-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Commencement Exercises (Howard Is Growing))". Evening Star. Washington, D.C. 1908-05-27. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Deaths Reported". The Washington Herald. Washington, D.C. 1910-12-20. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-07-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "'Hallowed Ground': Sororities Work to Preserve Black DC Cemetery". NBC4 Washington. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  8. ^ "Nortables". Woodlawn Cemetery. Retrieved 2023-07-30.

External links edit