Marie Woolfolk Taylor | |
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 | |
| Born | December 18, 1893[1] |
| Died | November 9, 1960 (aged 67)[1] |
| Occupation(s) | founder of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated; Social Service Worker |
| Spouse | Dr. Alfred Taylor[1] |
| Children | Alfred Marie Taylor[1] |
Marie Woolfolk Taylor (December 18, 1893 - November 9, 1960) was one of the sixteen founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the first sorority founded by African-American women. The legacy she created in establishing the sorority has continued to generate social capital for nearly 100 years.
Woolfolk did post-graduate study in the new field of social work and returned to Atlanta for her career. She worked as a social worker and probation officer, and chaired numerous civic groups, readily handling financial responsibilities. She was on the board of directors of a range of charities. Woolfolk considered herself mostly a social worker, but she also worked as an educator at night school.
With her commitment to community service and strong leadership in activities in a segregated city, Woolfolk demonstrated how sororities could help women prepare "to create spheres of influence, authority and power within institutions that traditionally have allowed African Americans and women little formal authority and real power."[2]
- ^ a b c d e f McNealey, Earnestine G. (2006). Pearls of Service: the Legacy of America's First Black Sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha. Chicago, Ill.: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. p. 45. LCCN 2006928528.
- ^ Tamara L. Brown, Gregory Parks, and Clarenda M. Phillips, African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2005, p.342