Carrie Snowden

Carrie Estelle Snowden ( – 1948) was one of the founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, the first sorority founded by African-American women.

Early life Snowden was born in Pennsylvania c. 1884. In June 1902, she graduated eighth grade at the Lincoln School and was promoted to high school. In June 1906, she graduated from M Street High School where she served as her class vice president. There were only a few women enrolled in Howard at the time.

Alpha Kappa Alpha While at Howard, she and fifteen other women formed Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She served as the epistoleus (corresponding secretary) of what became the Alpha chapter of the sorority in the fall of 1909. Later in life, Snowden worked in administration at Howard University as a switchboard operator until she retired.

Snowden's job at the university allowed her to take classes there. She pursued lifelong learning, taking courses in a wide range of subjects such as commerce, economics, mathematics, and social work. In 1943, she took a course in typing at Howard.

Snowden died in 1948 in Washington, D.C. She was buried in Washington, D.C. Her sorority friends remembered her as "small, slim, and gracious".