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Interviewee: Pauline Monsanto

Interviewer: Dr. Mark Naison and Donna Joseph

Summary by Oscar Sanchez

Born and raised in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Pauline Monsanto grew up in a structured and education-focused household, shaped by her parents’ expectations for discipline, responsibility, and academic achievement. Her childhood in a tight-knit island community shaped the steadiness and self-assurance she would later bring to academia, corporate spaces, and ultimately her decades-long service with the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. After leaving St. Thomas to attend Knoxville College, a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in Tennessee, Monsanto encountered the poised and accomplished women of Alpha Kappa Alpha during her first semester, an experience that inspired her to pursue membership in the organization. Initiated into Alpha Kappa Alpha in 1972, she brought those values with her when she moved to New York City, where she began building her career and became active in the sorority’s community programs and sisterhood in the northern Bronx.

After graduating and moving to NYC, Monsanto arrived in the Bronx at a moment when the borough’s Caribbean and African diasporas were rapidly expanding. A chance encounter in a Gun Hill Road meat market with Soror Leverne Best King led her to Eta Omega Omega Chapter, the place she would call home for the next forty-one years. Her earliest chapter experiences, including witnessing a bridal shower for a charter member and receiving mentorship from sorors–likenamely, Irma Wilson–revealed a community deeply invested in both service and sisterhood. These interactions affirmed that the chapter cared not just about organizational excellence but about the full personhood of its members.

Monsanto approached her early years quietly, choosing to “listen, observe, and learn, ” a motto she firmly believed in, and in which lay the groundwork for a long leadership trajectory (Monsanto Interview Transcript, 00:14:19–00:14:33). She served as Anti-Grammateus, Grammateus, Epistoleus, and ultimately Basileus, guiding the chapter with steadiness and clarity by providing consistent and reliable leadership. Under her administration, Eta Omega Omega strengthened its presence in the community through annual health fairs, college fairs featuring HBCUs, voter registration drives, and political forums that introduced residents to Bronx candidates. She also oversaw the growth of the chapter’s annual boat ride, which became both a signature fundraiser and a beloved tradition within the Divine Nine community.

One of Monsanto’s most lasting contributions is her work with the Rites of Passage Program, which she has supported since its inception in 1990. She taught workshops on financial literacy and etiquette, two areas often neglected in schools but crucial for young women preparing for adulthood. These sessions, which emphasized discipline and confidence, reflect her belief that education remains the foundation of empowerment. Today, she views widespread book bans and curriculum restrictions as among the most urgent threats facing young people, reaffirming why mentoring programs remain essential.

Her personal journey also speaks to the experience of navigating predominantly white professional environments as a Black woman. As the only woman of color in her finance department, Monsanto relied on the sorority as a grounding force; a place where she would decompress, be understood, and regain her sense of self. Her presence in the chapter for over four decades also coincides with broader demographic shifts, as Eta Omega Omega gradually expanded to include more members from the Caribbean and, later, from African countries, a change Pauline directly links to the increasing diversity of the Bronx during that period (Monsanto Interview Transcript, 00:19:35–00:20:56).

Now a Golden Soror with fifty years of service, Monsanto reflects on her legacy with pride. Her daughter, initiated into Alpha Kappa Alpha through the Delta Lambda Chapter at Delaware State University in 1994 and now a Silver Star member—continues the family’s commitment to the sorority, and Monsanto hopes her granddaughter will one day follow the same path. Monsanto ends her interview with optimism, expressing complete confidence in the next generation of talented and determined young women who will carry the sorority forward. Her life stands as a testament to how service, education, and sisterhood can shape not only a leader but an entire community, and more importantly, the next generations to follow.

Disciplines

African American Studies | Public History

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