NATCHEZ — Besneakered and swathed in pink and green, these ladies hit the pavement to walk 1,908 steps in honor of the founding of their sorority.

Alpha Kappa Alpha, founded in 1908, is celebrating their 100th year by having a national centennial walk.

The ladies of the Zeta Delta Omega chapter in Natchez gathered at the gazebo on the bluff at 9 a.m. to begin their walk down Bontura Street to Canal Street and then up Franklin Street.

Around the nation, other alumni gathered to do the same, Zeta Delta Omega chapter president Ora Frazier said.

“All the AKAs over the world will be walking starting at their own standard time,” Frazier said. “In other words, we’ll be synchronizing our walk.”

Lela Taylor, five-year member of the chapter and 35-year AKA alumna, said she appreciated the unity of the day.

“It feels good that we’re all together as one,” Taylor said.

She said she came out to walk because the 100-year mark for the sorority is “really big.”

Fifty-year alumna Lillian Edney said she couldn’t turn down this opportunity.

“I just wanted to be a part of it,” she said.

She also wanted to walk for the health benefits, too, another aim of the centennial walk.

Demitiria Reed, the health committee chair, said the walk is also to get the alumnae up and moving.

“It was organized to promote healthy living,” Reed said.

Edney said she jumped at the chance to do some walking.

“I’m an avid walker in the first place, I try to walk four miles a day,” she said.

Led by a police escort, around 20 alumnae lined up and started marching.

Along the way, they stopped at the Bluff City Post, Holy Family Catholic Church, Brumfield School and finally the Forks of the Road.

Already sweltering in the sun at 10 a.m., Frazier said each stop was designed to give a chance for the ladies to refuel with water and also hear a little bit about each historical place.

She said with Natchez being a historical city, it just made sense to make those locations the pit stops.