For an organization with a code of silence rivaled only by police departments, a 38-page lawsuit filed by eight members of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority against its president and board of directors is unusual enough.
But add public allegations of misuse of funds for lingerie and jewelry and top it off with the creation of a wax sculpture in the president’s likeness paid for by sorority members – during a recession – and you have the makings of an international news story and fodder for gossip blogs.
From the U.S. to Great Britain and India, media outlets and blogs have reported the conflict, mainly about the statue that is on display in the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore. The lawsuit claims, among other things, the wax replica of AKA president Barbara McKinzie cost $900,000, a much-disputed figure.
As plaintiffs and their attorneys prepare to hold a meeting in Philadelphia next week to give members an update on the case, an examination of the various letters and court documents reveal a conflict between McKinzie and other members over finances and rules going back years before her election as president. The lawsuit filed in June is just the latest in a series of legal clashes between McKinzie and some of the members.
The dispute is chronicled in court papers and on the Friends of the Weeping Ivy Web site, which has become a vehicle for interested members to discuss and provide financial support to the lawsuit. There, plaintiffs have announced an August 22 meeting, not sanctioned by the sorority, in
Plaintiffs contend that McKinzie has run up nearly $400,000 in personal expenses since her induction in 2006 —
McKinzie shot off a response to the media saying she was being targeted because she has attempted to “professionalize” the organization.
