"Black Girl Social Club: Black women creating, finding, and building community through sisterhood"
- Charmane M. Perry
- Oct 17, 2024
- 10 min read
Updated: Oct 18, 2024
*This essay was originally published in March 2024 in The Discipline and the African World 2024 Report: An Annual Report on the State of Affairs for Africana Communities. National Council for Black Studies, Third Annual Report*
“When we are one, we win.” Black Girl Social Club
“This organization is exactly what Black women needed.” Nickeya Hannah,
Los Angeles chapter
In fall 2019, I moved to Birmingham, Alabama to start a new position at the University of
Alabama at Birmingham. Less than a year into my move, the Covid-19 pandemic hit, forcing the world to shut down. For many reasons, Birmingham turned out to be not the most optimal place for me. Prior to the pandemic, I was already having difficulty finding community, and so the pandemic increased the challenges of finding spaces of support, freedom, and belonging. In summer 2021, through a joint search, we hired a new visiting faculty member, Dr. Joyce Zoe Farley, who, soon after accepting the offer, told me about Black Girl Social Club (BGSC). I had never heard of the organization but longing for community, I decided to check it out. This community turned out to be exactly what I needed. In this essay, I discuss the origin, growth, and impact of BGSC for Black women who are searching for sisterhood and community with other Black women. The rapid growth of BGSC suggests that Black women across the world are in search of healthy, supportive, and endearing relationships with Black women. Creating space for Black women to nurture sisterhood has many implications specific to the Black community and Black families as the personal and collective work to build and foster relationships in this organization will also trickle into relationships within other spaces in our communities. Further, BGSC builds on the legacy and tradition of Black community solidarity and development, institutions and relationships which have been pivotal for the growth, well-being, and empowerment of the Black community not only in the United States but across Africa and the African diaspora.
“When we are one, we win.”: The origins and growth of the Black Girl Social Club.
Shortly before New Year’s Eve in December 2018, Carmen Jones attended a girl’s night
out with eleven other women where they conversed, laughed, and set affirmations for the
upcoming year over good food and drinks. As noted on the organization’s website:
After a night of healing, guided meditation, laughing, crying, and lots of new connections made, Carmen realized this was something women needed–more specifically Black women. They needed a space to feel seen, be heard, and not feel judged. They needed healing and personal development, through solid relationships and social activities. (The Black Girl Social Club [BGSC], 2023)
The warmth and love experienced during girl’s night inspired Carmen to recreate those feelings incessantly not only for herself but for Black women like her, who were seeking sisterhood, who were seeking love, support, and community from other Black women. This experience led to the creation of The Black Girl Social Club in 2019 with Atlanta, GA as the founding chapter. Shortly thereafter, other chapters were created in Richmond, VA, Los Angeles, CA, and New York City, NY. Since the establishment of those initial chapters in 2019, BGSC has spread not only to over seventy chapters in the United States but also chapters in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Costa Rica, Germany, and Dubai totaling over 4,000 members (Byrd, 2022). Clearly, the need for a space to feel seen, be heard, and not feel judged, the need for healing and personal development through solid relationships and social activities was not specific to Carmen and other Black women in Atlanta but was needed by Black women all over the world.
In July 2019, I officially became a member of the Birmingham chapter of BGSC. I was welcomed with warmth and kindness by the presidents Delena Chappel and Falina Long. I attended various events such as a film screening of Respect, bowling, and fellowship over food. In addition to the social activities, we also volunteered and gave back to the Birmingham community. In November 2021, members of the Birmingham chapter pitched in to purchase items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, feminine hygiene products, soap, and light refreshments. We went downtown to an area heavily populated with unhoused individuals and distributed the bags. Volunteering and community engagement is one of the goals of BGSC. For example, BGSC is currently partnered with various organizations and missions such as the Precious Dreams Foundation, the Black & Missing Foundation, When We All Vote!, Samaritan’s Feet, Black Girls Who Paint!, and Alter Therapy to provide members with discounted counseling services. These organizations represent a small fraction of the volunteering and community engagement efforts and are central to BGSC’s core values: community, compassion, leadership, service, and integrity.
While my membership in the Birmingham chapter was finally providing me with community, my time in Birmingham had expired as I accepted a position at San Diego State University in spring 2022. However, the isolation and lack of community I experienced in Birmingham has not occurred because of the BGSC community I joined in San Diego. When a BGSC member relocates to another city, she is able to transfer her membership instead of waiting for open enrollment and applying for a new chapter. Because of this, a few months after coming to San Diego, I met my new sisterhood; without this community, my experience in California would have been equally isolating, if not more, than Birmingham. While the Black community in Birmingham represented 68% of the population (Birmingham US Census, 2022), the Black community in San Diego is seemingly much more invisible, representing 6% of the city’s population (San Diego US Census, 2022). The Black population in San Diego has been slowly shrinking and has been in a constant state of motion. Because San Diego is a military town, many Black people in San Diego are a part of the military and often leave once they retire. With over sixty members in the San Diego chapter, most of the women I have met are not native to San Diego or California but rather have come here because of military duty, work, or other reasons. Once here, the question of making San Diego a permanent residence looms large as San Diego is ranked as one of the most expensive major cities to live in the United States (Henry and Schmiedeberg, 2023 and Garfinkle, 2023). The small population and the difficulty locating Black neighborhoods and spaces has made the community I have found in the BGSC San Diego chapter that much more important to my overall well-being and adjustment to San Diego.
My experiences and reflections are not alone. In October 2023, I asked Deidre Sayles- Mosley, president of the San Diego chapter, questions about her decision to join BGSC and how her involvement in the organization has impacted her life. Having moved to San Diego from Michigan in November 2015 to start a new chapter in her life, for Deidre, finding a community, and a Black community in particular, was challenging. As it relates to Black San Diego:
Most of them are military, but most of the natives live in southeast San Diego due to it being a more affordable area to live in. The downside with that is that those areas are also known to not be the most safe. (D. Sayles-Mosley, personal communication, September 15, 2023)
Because of this, it was not until roughly two years ago, nearly six years after relocating to San Diego, that Deidre was able to say that she had found her community, and this was due to her becoming a member of BGSC. Searching for a community of “like-minded Black women,” Deidre discovered BGSC on Instagram, and the chain of events that followed have had a significant impact on her life. When asked how BGSC has impacted her life, Deidre stated:
Anytime anyone asks me this question, it takes me a second to truly gather my thoughts in order to convey what joining this organization means to me. IMPACT is an understatement. I recently mentioned the impact BGSC has had on my life last month
(August 2023) at Tribe Appreciation month, and I remember having this very full feeling.
I compared my life prior to joining BGSC as ‘my cup being half empty’ but after, feeling
very fulfilled and whole. That was certainly something that I had been searching for and
didn’t realize how it would change me as a person for the better. (D. Sayles-Mosley,
personal communication, September 15, 2023)
Deidre had found (as well has been instrumental in creating and building) community in sisterhood.
BGSC’s mission is to foster sisterhood and build relationships among Black women through social interaction, and their vision “is to foster an inclusive international network of Black women who understand sisterhood, community, and collaboration” (BGSC, 2023). The ultimate goal “is to cultivate relationships and connections that are impactful, while producing work that is equally impactful” (BGSC, 2023). Social interactions extend beyond social events like comedy shows, yachting, skiing, cookouts, trips to South Africa and cruises to Mexico but also networking and professional development opportunities within one’s chapter as well as across chapters nationally and internationally. When asked about sisterhood and the sisterhood found in BGSC, Deidre shared that because she was an only child, for her, sisterhood has primarily been found in friendships. After the loss of a close friend in 2019, she experienced an absence of that bond found in relationships with other Black women. In response to sisterhood, Deidre shared:
When I think of sisterhood, I feel genuine love, transparency, reliability, compassion, comprehension and all-around respect. That’s what I try to embody with my friends, and I expect that to be reciprocated. As you get older, you learn that expecting those types of characteristics and attributes from people may seem unrealistic at times, but that’s why you do the work. You do the work in finding those individuals that align with what you want out of life and out of your friendships. (D. Sayles-Mosley, personal communication, September 15, 2023)
After the loss of her best friend, Deidre explained that:
I was left with that seemingly fading memory of the sisterhood I shared with her, which allowed me to open up and search for BGSC post-pandemic. Sisterhood in the Black community is crucial, and my BGSC sisters allow me to be myself, goofy and all. That’s what it’s all about! (D. Sayles-Mosley, personal communication, September 15, 2023)
BGSC promotes and celebrates the accomplishments of Black women and pushes Black women to support each other through good and difficult times because “when we are one, we win.”
Further, BGSC is focused on the next generation of Black women through the creation of BGSC Jr. BGSC Jr. is an extension of BGSC dedicated to mentoring and serving Black girls and young Black women between the ages of 11 and 21. The objectives are “to provide impactful social experiences, to provide an outlet for mental health and physical wellness, to provide meaningful career prep, and to provide educational and academic support” (BGSC, 2023). The core values for BGSC Jr. are similar to BGSC: compassion, service, social responsibility, integrity, education, and leadership. In order to continue the building of sisterhood and community among Black women, it is important to demonstrate and be a role model so young Black girls can mature into young Black women who understand the meaning of true sisterhood and community. This is important not only for Black women but the Black community as a whole. It is only recently through my experiences with BGSC–the San Diego chapter in particular–and other relationships that I am finding true, authentic sisterhood. While still in the early stages of development, BGSC Jr. can play a significant role in the transformation of relationships between Black girls, Black women and, by extension, Black people.
Conclusion
As an organization, BGSC is walking in the tradition of Black women who organized mutual aid societies, club movements such as the National Association of Colored Women, and created and joined historically Black Greek-lettered sororities since the late eighteenth century (Lerner, 1974; Jenkins, 1984; Smith, 1986; Giddings, 2007; & Ross Jr., 2019). Black women have historically sought to build communities and traditions of sisterhood while also seeking to uplift and facilitate transformative engagement within the Black community. These traditions have continued into the contemporary period as Black women have continued to create communities of support (Murch, 2020). While Black women who are members of BGSC have sought to build and nurture relationships with each other, the larger goals and activities of BGSC impact Black families and Black community development by promoting support, empowerment, and solidarity to better the Black community and the future of Black youth. According to Deidre, “BGSC is all about community. In fact, community and service are two of our brand pillars/values.” For example:
Coming up this holiday season, we’re planning to work with our local veterans, as well as feed the homeless and wrap Christmas presents for the kids at the YMCA. We are also intentional about supporting Black-owned businesses, over everything. It’s important to give back to the communities that have poured into us and strengthen us. In our group chat on Band, we often share our black resources: hairstylists/braiders, fitness instructors, restaurants, etc. (D. Sayles-Mosley, personal communication, September 15, 2023)
These are some of the many ways BGSC is a part of this tradition of Black sisterhood and community through organizations. These examples demonstrate the multiple ways BGSC is committed to the economic, social, cultural, and political development of Black communities across the globe. And as BGSC continues to experience growth across memberships and chapters, it will become more than an organization, it will be a movement of Black sisterhood which ultimately impacts the overall well-being of the Black community.
References
Byrd, J. (2022). The Black Girls Social Club Conference Reinforces The Power Of Sisterhood.
Garfinkle, M. (2023). “7 of the 10 Most Expensive Cities to Live in the U.S. Are in One State.”
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Giddings, P. J. (2007). In Search of Sisterhood: Delta Sigma Theta and the Challenge of the
Black Sorority Movement. William Morrow Paperbacks.
Henry, K. and R. Schmiedeberg. (2023). “San Diego Ranks Among Most Expensive American
Cities to Live Comfortably.” NBC San Diego.
Jenkins, M. T. (1984). “The history of the Black woman’s club movement in America.”
Unpublished dissertation. Teachers College, Columbia University.
Lerner, G. (1974). Early community work of Black Club women.” The Journal of Negro History,
Volume 59, Number 2: 158-167.
Murch, D. (2020). “Black Women, Mutual Aid, and Union Organizing in the Time of
COVID-19.” Academe. Reflections on Faculty Life in a Pandemic Series.
Ross, Jr., L. C. (2019). The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and
Sororities. Dafina: Second Edition.
Smith, S. (1986). “The Black women’s club movement: Self-improvement and sisterhood,
1890-1915.” Unpublished thesis, University of Wisconsin Madison.
United States Census. (2022). “Quick facts: Birmingham city, Alabama.”
United States Census. (2022). “Quick facts: San Diego city, California.”
The Black Girl Social Club. (2023). https://theblackgirlsocialclub.com/
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