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The ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., have added some heavy hitters to their 2025 honorary member class. The induction took place during the sorority’s 2025 Leadership Seminar in California. The newest inductees are Olympian Gabby Thomas, former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, CNN anchor and analyst Laura Coates, and model Beverly Johnson.
“Welcoming these phenomenal women into our Sisterhood is a powerful testament to our legacy of distinction,” International President & CEO Danette Anthony Reed said, according to Watch the Yard. “Their voices and vision will further strengthen our mission of impactful service to all mankind.”
Coates has the distinction of being CNN's first female African American chief legal analyst. She regularly makes appearances on prime-time specials and town halls around the network, where she is well-known for her sharp legal skills and constitutional expertise. In addition to her job at CNN, she hosts the acclaimed Laura Coates Show on SiriusXM, where she conducts in-depth interviews with major figures and delves deeply into the relationship between the law and public life.
Coates worked as a federal prosecutor and then as an adjunct law professor prior to gaining prominence in the media. She graduated from Princeton University and the University of Minnesota Law School, and she is the best-selling author of Just Pursuit and You Have the Right. Coates, a Saint Paul native, is well-known around the country for having a strong voice on equality, justice, and public policy.
Like her new soror Olympian Gabby Thomas, she has also made major strides in her field. As the first Ivy League graduate to win an Olympic track and field medal, Thomas created history. She is one of the quickest women in history, having set a personal best time of 21.60 seconds in the 200-meter sprint. After collecting medals at the 2020 Tokyo Games, she went on to win gold in the 200-meter and 4×100-meter relay events at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Thomas is a Harvard University graduate with a master's degree in epidemiology and a degree in neurobiology and global health. She is a strong supporter of expanding diversity in STEM professions outside of the track and frequently utilizes her position to encourage young women of color to choose careers in public health and science.
Alpha Kappa Alpha awards honorary membership as its highest recognition, extended to women who exemplify the organization’s ideals of scholarship, service, and sisterhood. Honorary members are encouraged to fully engage with the sorority’s initiatives and community programs.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated was founded on January 15, 1908, on the campus of Howard University by nine collegiate women. The sorority has over 380,000 members in both graduate and undergraduate chapters located in 12 countries.
