Anna Easter Brown Remembered At Ceremony In West Orange

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The following article comes courtesy of West Orange public information officer and town historian Joseph Fagan. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

The West Orange Public Library hosted a rededication ceremony on January 15 for the Anna Easter Brown historical marker on the front lawn. It was hosted by Rho Gamma Omega chapter which is a member of the national Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. (AKA).

The ceremony honored Anna Easter Brown who was a former West Orange resident and founding member of AKA. It was the first sorority for African-American women in the United States and began at Howard University in 1908. The West Orange marker was originally dedicated on February 12, 2016 and funded by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.

Trina Brinkley of Rho Gamma Omega served as the Mistress of Ceremony and introduced sorority sisters Vonda Johnson, Lesley-Ann Adamas, Quiyon Peters and Nicole Nash who all made brief remarks. West Orange Mayor Susan McCartney, Council President Tammy Williams, and Township Historian Joseph Fagan all were invited to speak. AKA North Atlantic Regional Director Mary Bentley-Lamar delivered the litany before a jam-packed crowd of about 200 attendees that filled the library reminiscence of the 2016 dedication. After a brief break the crowd moved outside for the marker rededication and the unveiling of a special flora bouquet in the AKA colors of pink and green.

Anna Easter Brown was born on April 13, 1879 in West Orange to Beverly and Lawrie Brown and given the name of “Easter” because she entered the world on Easter Sunday. Surviving records list her home as being on Mount Pleasant Avenue but do not indicate the exact location. It is not known if her former home is still standing and could have been removed during the construction of I-280. Little is known about her early childhood but she lived here during a time when it was still considered a rural farming community. The marker location at the library is appropriate because it sits somewhere in between where she lived and went to school.

Brown received her schooling in West Orange at the town’s first public school. It was the St. Marks School used for all grades including high school and located on Main Street, then known as Valley Road. It is no longer standing and was destroyed by a fire in 1926. The large office building at 80 Main Street occupies the site today. Records indicate that Brown was part of the West Orange High School graduating class of 1897 from St. Mark’s and received high honors. On January 15, 1908, she was among an original group of nine students who was later joined by seven others to establish the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority on the campus of Howard University. Brown passed away in 1957.

• See related article: West Orange Pioneer Anna Easter Brown Honored For Juneteenth

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