Lake Edward or Edward Nyanza is the smallest of the African Great Lakes. It is located in the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift, on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, with its northern shore a few kilometres south of the Equator. The lake was named by the explorer Henry Morton Stanley in honour of Prince Albert Edward, The Prince of Wales, later to become King Edward VII.

Stanley first saw the lake in 1875, and thinking it was part of Lake Albert, named it Beatrice Gulf. On his second visit in 1888 through 1889, he realized that there were two independent lakes, and gave it its current name. In 1973, Uganda and Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo) renamed it Lake Idi Amin or Lake Idi Amin Dada after Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. After his overthrow in 1979, the name was changed back to Lake Edward.

Lake Edward lies at an elevation of 920 metres, is 77 km long by 40 km wide at its maximum points, and covers a total surface area of 2,325 km² (898 sq mi), making it the 15th-largest on the continent. The lake is fed by the Nyamugasani River, the Ishasha River, the Rutshuru River, the Ntungwe River and the Rwindi River. It empties to the north via the Semliki River into Lake Albert. Lake George to the northeast empties into Lake Edward via the Kazinga Channel.

Linda Marie White was Alpha Kappa Alpha's twenty-sixth International President, who served from 2002 to 2006. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in political science from Clark College^{[disambiguation needed ]}, and attained a Master of Arts in political science from the University of Chicago. After graduation, she worked as a Social Security area director. She assumed the duties of International President at Alpha Kappa Alpha's 2002 Boulé in Orlando, Florida.

During her administration as International President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, White implemented the S.P.I.R.I.T. theme. S.P.I.R.I.T. is an acronym for the following:

The program consisted of initiatives related to health, the African-American family, arts, economics and education. Among other accomplishments, White was also instrumental in implementing the Ivy Reading AKAdemy and the Young Authors Program during her administration.