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The Black Female Development Circle
The Black Female Development Circle is an organization of black women that came together at the University of Florida in 1994. The group was founded to serve as a support system for black women. Meetings were to be a place where women with similar experiences could come together to discuss current events and find comfort from women who could relate to them. The University of Central Florida got its chapter in the fall of 1996. The Constitution was adopted on October 4, 1996, and the organization has flourished since. The purpose of the group, as stated in the constitution is to:
1. Present vital knowledge in the form of mental and spiritual challenges to reshape thinking;
2. Provide mandatory practical life skills and specialized life skills that empower, and
3. Generate a stable environment of respect, admiration, and appreciation for our own kind and our contributions.
The UCF chapter started out as a group of women who had meetings that focused primarily on the self actualization and improvement aspect of the organization. After a few years of very relaxed meetings and few events, the membership of BFDC began to dwindle.
During the summer of 2000, the active members - Telishia Terry; Sandra Miles; Lelani Grant; Kendria Anderson; Janise Standberry; Jackie Grice; Keesa Addison; and Stacie Alderman (respectively) - decided to take BFDC in a new direction. They began to have business meetings where plans were made for more forums, fundraisers, and celebratory events to educate the UCF community about the issues that face black women. A membership drive was also put into effect in order to recruit more dynamic women into the organization.
Currently, BFDC has a membership roster full of dedicated women, and has gotten back to its feminist roots. Events like Tribute to a Black Man, BFDC's group therapy, book club meetings, Ladies Night Out, and Shades of Womanhood are all ways for us to promote our idea of what black feminism is. And, as the circle will never be broken by titles, any member of BFDC enjoys having an active voice in every area of business.
The next chapter of BFDC history begins with September 10, 2002. This is the date that our organization officially became incorporated thanks to the hard work and dedication of Sandra Miles; Tamica Hill; Yanique Lawrence; Maloni Jones; Arnetta Wilson; Ranell Lewis; Yjhonne Henley; Angelica Washington; and Andrea Waddy (respectively), the BFDC incorporators.
