Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority International President Barbara McKinzie is being sued by eight of her sorors for gross misuse of funds on everything from $1 million life insurance policy and programs funneled to her own company to a big-screen TV and a wax statue of herself. Seriously.

The plaintiffs want McKinzie fired, the board of directors removed and the money returned. McKinzie argues she did nothing wrong. The she-said-she-said surrounding the statue debate goes like this:

In the sorority statement, McKinzie took particular offense to the accusation that she commissioned a life-size wax figure of herself that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. She said the sorority's board approved the money to "help defray overall expenses for our 2010 convention."


McKinzie said a total of $45,000 was spent on a wax figure of her and the sorority's first international president, the late Nellie Quander. McKinzie also said the expenses were "consistent with furthering AKA's mission" and did not violate any of the group's bylaws.

The lawsuit says $900,000 was spent on the McKinzie wax statue, but Edward W. Gray Jr., an attorney representing the plaintiffs suing the Chicago-based sorority, said he has since learned the amount was for the two statues. The statues reportedly are to be displayed in the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore, Md., he said. Source: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sues President Over Wax Statue, Associated Press - AOL

If the allegations are true, then AKA, of which I am a member, has been infected by greed at the top. This entire saga is not only sad because it's a blow to the reputation of the oldest predominantly black sorority in America, it's mostly sad because if some were lining their pockets while others stood by and watched, then sorely needed community service programs most likely didn't get funded.

Within the 38-page lawsuit filed last month, the sorority, which Gray called "one of the crown jewels of our community," is portrayed as a troubled organization rife with financial improprieties.

For example, the lawsuit alleges that McKinzie and Betty James, the executive director who is also named as a defendant, oversaw the preparation of the organization's tax returns that include many "unreasonable large and inappropriate" deductions.

McKinzie also invested millions of dollars of the sorority's money in stocks and bonds -- investments that have since lost huge amounts of money, according to the lawsuit. Source: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sues President Over Wax Statue, Associated Press - AOL

It's hard to find empathy when black leaders recklessly spend hard-earned cash on personal monuments. I just hope that amid the infighting, personal jealousies and complicit oversight committee, the charges against Barbara McKinzie will turn out to be nothing more than a huge misunderstanding.