Francina Boykin, '75
In 1973, Francina Boykin took one of the first humanities courses offered in the State University System of Florida. This class, taught by professor Peter Kranz, inspired Boykin to become more vocal about inequalities. She got involved in educating black citizens about their rights and became very active in environmental justice. Her environmental work centered around an investigation into the quality of air in the South Apopka community, her hometown.
Her humanitarian work didn't stop there. In the late 1990s, Boykin became a founding member of the Democracy Forum's Ocoee Research Project. She was featured in the 'Election Day Massacre 1920 in Ocoee' documentary and has participated in numerous panels on race relations and civil rights.
These accomplishments earned Francina Boykin the 2006 Marvin C. Zanders Humanitarian Award and the Donald Cheney Historian Award 2020 from Orange County Regional History Center, Orlando. We are so proud to have such an esteemed individual as an alumna of the University of North Florida.
