Nellie Pratt Russell

Nellie Pratt Russell
BornMay 4, 1890[1]
Macon, Georgia, U.S.
DiedDecember 13, 1979 (age 89)
Lawrenceville, Virginia, U.S.[1]
Occupation(s)incorporator of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated; English teacher at St. Paul's Normal and Industrial School for 50 years[1]
SpouseDr. J. Alvin Russell[1]

Nellie Pratt Russell (May 4, 1890 - December 13, 1979) was an incorporator of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the first sorority founded by African-American college women. The sorority has continued to generate social capital for over 110 years.[2]

Earning undergraduate and graduate degrees at Howard University and Columbia University, Nellie Russell worked as an educator for more than 50 years, mostly teaching English at St. Paul's College, an historically black college in Lawrenceville, Virginia. There she inspired generations of students and teachers. Russell was featured in the 1927 volume of Who's Who in Colored America. St. Paul's College named a building after Nellie Russell and her husband Dr. J. Alvin Russell, in honor of their contributions, and endowed a scholarship in their name.

  1. ^ a b c d "Nellie Pratt Russell". Theta Rho Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Archived from the original on 2008-01-01. Retrieved 2007-10-17.
  2. ^ "Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. - Service to All Mankind Since 1908". aka1908.com. Retrieved 2021-06-21.