Archie Smart
In celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated (AKA), Oak Ridge Chapter, will present its 30th annual Community Speaks Program on Monday, January 15, at 9:45 a.m. at Consolidated Nuclear Security’s New Hope Center on Scarboro Road. This year’s theme is “Together We Win with Love for Humanity,” a press release said.
Archie Smart, the keynote speaker, is a native of South Carolina, a press release said. He received a bachelor’s degree in history from South Carolina State University. Smart is a veteran of the U.S. Army, where he served as a commissioned officer in the Adjutant General Corps.
He is a project manager at Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), where he manages the third consecutive National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) project, the press release said.
Smart is a licensed and ordained minister and is the founder and president of “By His Ministries,” a ministry dedicated to teaching evangelism using 21st century technology. Smart is the interim bi-vocational pastor at the First United Church of Christ in Sweetwater, Tennessee. He lives in Oak Ridge with his wife, Millette.
Benjamin Stephens, manager of academic partnerships at Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, will serve as the master of ceremonies, the press release said. Stephens is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, where he served for 25 years. He has a master’s degree in human resources management/personnel administration from Central Michigan University and a bachelor’s degree in professional aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Program participants include SECME Inc., students from Oak Ridge High School and Robertsville and Jefferson middle schools.
“Keep the Dream Alive” scholarships will be awarded to area high school seniors nominated by Alpha Kappa Alpha, Oak Ridge Chapter, and the Men of Tomorrow Program Incorporated.
This program is co-sponsored by Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, Oak Valley Baptist Church, Methodist Medical Center, and Church Women United. Methodist Medical Center will provide lunch, and Church Women United will provide desert after the program.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated (AKA) is an international service organization that was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C., in 1908. It is the oldest Greek-lettered organization established by African American, college-educated women, the press release said. AKA is comprised of more than 265,000 members in approximately 983 graduate and undergraduate chapters in the United States, Bahamas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Germany, South Korea, Bermuda, Dubai, Japan, Canada, and the continent of Africa. Led by International President Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson, Alpha Kappa Alpha is often hailed as “America’s premier Greek-lettered organization for African-American women.” For more information on Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and its programs, visit www.aka1908.com.
The Monday program is open to the public.
This press release was submitted by Kowetha Mack.
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