Margaret Flagg Holmes

Margaret Flagg-Holmes (September 6, 1886 - January 29, 1976) was one of the sixteen founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Born in Durham, North Carolina, Flagg spent her elementary years in the city's public school system. Later moving to Washington, D.C., Margaret attended M. Street High School, where she graduated in 1904.

College life and the establishment of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
In September 1904, Margaret enrolled at Howard University, where she majored in Latin and, history, and English. Flagg was involved with the founding of Alpha Kappa Alpha in 1907 by attending the sorority's planning. Margaret helped to refine Alpha Kappa Alpha's first constitution, drafted by Lucy Diggs Slowe, with Ethel Hedgeman and Lavinia Norman. The sorority was officially founded on January 15, 1908 by nine African-American female students. Margaret graduated in 1908.

Occupation
Before becoming a certified teacher, Margaret served as a substitute elementary teacher in Baltimore Public Schools. For nine years, Margaret served as a history, Latin and English teacher at the same Baltimore high school as fellow founder Lucy Diggs Slowe. Later, she received a Master of Arts degree in philosophy from Columbia University in 1917, by studying during summers.

On August 1, 1917, Margaret married John Clay Holmes. The couple moved to Chicago, Illinois, where Margaret returned to teaching in 1922. She taught at Wendell Phillips High School as a Latin Teacher. She was named "Best Latin Teacher of the City" by the North Central Association. Later, she moved to DuSable High School, where she was the head of the history department until 1931. She continued teaching until 1953.

Civic and Alpha Kappa Alpha involvement
In Chicago, Margaret participated in the NAACP and the YWCA. Through her community work relating to civil rights, she became acquantances with Dr. W.E.B. DuBois, Mary White Ovington, and Dr. Joel Spingarn. With her husband John, Margaret traveled across the United States and Canada. In Paris, France, Margaret met Josephine Baker. She and her husband were received by Pope Pius XI in 1931.

Margaret furthered her participation in Alpha Kappa Alpha by becoming a part of Chicago's Theta Omega chapter, beginning in 1922 until 1953. She served as the vice-president and president of the chapter. After her husband died in 1946, Margaret moved to New York City to move with her sister. Margaret became a member of Tau Omega and was active until her death on January 29, 1976.