St. Frances Academy
BGD Chapter

It all started when…

Mother Mary Lange established the Oblate School for Colored Girls to provide a “Christian education to colored children,” – an act that would have been tremendously difficult during the era of American slavery. She recognized the need for education for African American children and opened the school in her home in the Fells Point area of the city.  By 1853, the name was changed from the Oblate School for Colored Girls to the Saint Frances School for Colored Girls, named after St. Frances of Rome (1384-1440), and later shortened and elevated to the Saint Frances Academy (SFA). 

In the spirit of the historical mission, vision and values of SFA, a chapter of Black Girls Dive Foundation was established to provide space where young girls of color can explore their STEM identity and develop dispositions and habits of mind that enable them to excel in STEM spaces that have historically excluded them.