Ruby Archie, Mid-Atlantic Regional Director, becomes an Ivy Beyond The Wall

Alpha Kappa Alpha’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Director has become an Ivy Beyond The Wall when Ruby Archie, 76, passed away on Saturday morning.   Archie was a longtime English teacher in Danville public schools, first at the old Langston High School and later at George Washington High School and was set to retire at the end of June.  According to Roanoke’s NBC 10, “she served 16 years on city council, including two terms as Vice-Mayor and two terms as Mayor, before deciding not to run again for council this year.” She had the distinction of being Danville’s first female mayor and also served as vice-mayor for two years.  “She was a wonderful lady,” said current Danville Mayor Sherman Saunders in a statement to WDBJ 7.  “Very dependable. Reliable. Always involved in the community. She was truly an educator’s educator.”

In a statement to sorority membership, Barbara McKenzie, the sorority’s current International President, stated that “We are all in shock and must process this loss.”  She also asked for Alpha Kappa Alpha members to respect the family’s private time together during this time of sympathy.

Sorority mourns loss of Yolanda King

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s International President Barbara A. McKinzie mourned the untimely loss of Yolanda King and called on the organization’s 200,000 members worldwide to remember the family in their prayers.

Declared McKinzie, “As the oldest child of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Coretta Scott King, Yolanda was the primary ‘keeper of the flame.’ As custodian of their legacy, she kept the flame’s embers burning brightly by continuing to champion the cause of human rights that her parents advocated. She set to this mission with strength of character, conviction and grace.”

McKinzie added that as an actress and producer, Yolanda created her own professional identity. Even in these roles, she was always mindful of her role as the “daughter of the movement” and incorporated in her work the message of peace and nonviolence she inherited from her mother and father.

McKinzie noted that Yolanda’s Alpha Kappa Alpha roots run deep. Her late mother, Coretta Scott King, was an Honorary Member and her sister, the Rev. Bernice King, is a member. Because of this strong connection, the Sorority has a special bond to Yolanda.

Said McKinzie, “In this time of mourning, Alpha Kappa Alpha extends condolences to her sister, the Rev. Bernice King; her brothers, Martin Luther King, III and Dexter Scott King; and to her extended family of worldwide supporters and admirers.”

 

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