jennifer-roberts Note: This article is in not intended to suggest that Black children can only learn only from Black people. It is however, intended to educate the public about the deep connection and shared history between Black people that allows for a more complete and culturally relevant education that is rooted in love and liberation.
The practice of Black people educating Black children is a longstanding tradition in African and African American culture. Education has always been a priority and has been successfully done in community. Whether it was passing down beliefs, customs and stories from one generation to the next orally, teaching our daughters how to braid their beautiful hair or preparing our sons to be village leaders, hunters, farmers or physicians, we have always educated our children.
Even after we were violently stolen from Africa by European profiteers and forced into chattel slavery in the Americas and the Caribbean, we still taught our children. Under unimaginable, life threatening conditions we taught them about their ancestors and relatives who were still in Africa. We taught them that they mattered and that they should always be proud. We taught them music and recipes to preserve a history that our captors tried to force us to forget. We taught them how to listen and remember the conversations of white folks and to share what they had heard. We taught them how to be shrewd, how to outwit white supremacy and how to survive. Despite it being punishable by death, some of us learned how to read and write and then we taught others in our community what we knew. Education was so important to us, that when slavery was legally abolished in the United States in 1865, one of the first acts of love and liberation we performed was starting our own schools. We know how to educate our children.
One of my favorite examples of love, liberation and pure genius is that of John Berry Meachum. John Berry was enslaved in Missouri. He purchased his freedom and was determined to help other Black people access freedom. In addition to founding and pastoring St. Louis’ first African American church, Meacham also built the Floating Freedom School. Missouri’s racist Literacy Law banned Black Missourians from being educated, holding private church services and living an unrestricted life. The law explicitly stated, “No persons shall keep or teach any school for the instruction of negroes or mulattoes, in reading or writing, in this State.” It also said, “Negroes or mulattoes not to be taught to read or write.”
John Meacham did not let this law stop him. Instead of being dissuaded, he got creative and made a bold move. In 1846, he purchased a steamboat and used it as school complete with classrooms and a library. The Floating Freedom School operated on the Mississippi River which was federally governed and not subject to the state’s laws. The steamboat was also mobile making it accessible to Black communities along the river. Brilliant!
When America slaves against Black people, as it always has, we know what to do. We refuse to bow down. We refuse to cower. We vehemently oppose it. We fiercely protect one another. We plan. We build. We serve. We make a way for our people. We take food scraps and make feasts. We take tattered cloth and make beautiful tapestries. We tap into the creativity, ingenuity and intelligence that are part of our DNA. Our long history of excellence, perseverance, overcoming and being underestimated has always included educating our children.
As I survey the pure evil that the Trump administration is actively imposing on every area of our lives, I want to remind Black people, “We know how to educate our children.” We must assume responsibility for loving, seeing, hearing, validating and educating our children. It’s not the government’s job; it’s our job. And please, do not mistake well-resourced public and private schools for quality education that understands, let alone meets the needs of Black students. I have seen more than my fair share of Black children whose souls are dying slow deaths in “good schools.”
We, our children’s parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, unconventional educators, conventional educators, writers, musicians, entrepreneurs, activists, church leaders, and community activists must be responsible for educating our children cooperatively. We can educate our children anywhere and everywhere. Here’s how – homeschool.
Homeschooling is not a new educational option but when schools shut down in 2020 and many children began learning at home, some parents saw and accepted for the first time, “I can successfully educate my child at home.” And this realization did not escape Black Americans. The Census Bureau reported that in 2020, the percentage of African American families homeschooling increased from 3.3% in the spring of 2020 to 16% in the fall of the same year.
Homeschool is an umbrella term that simply means that the parent/guardian takes full responsibility for the education of their child. The parent makes every decision concerning the child’s education opposed to federal, state or district leaders including principals and teachers. Homeschooling can be of particular interest to Black families because tragically, public schools are where many Black children are traumatized instead of being lovingly educated. If you are interested in exploring homeschooling, here are six steps to help you get started.
- Believe that you can educate your child: What do you believe about your ability to educate your child? Do you think, “I am my child’s first educator and I am qualified to educate him/her? Do you think, “I’m not a teacher. I can’t educate my child. In fact, I couldn’t wait for him/her to turn five so that a real teacher can teach him/her?” Or perhaps you are somewhere in between. Wherever you find yourself, what you believe about your ability to have the greatest influence on your child’s education and by extension their life is at the foundation of your child’s educational experience and your experience as their parent.
Contrary to what you may think, you are best qualified to educate your child. After all, you are the expert on your child. Do not think that a random stranger with a state teaching license is somehow better qualified to educate your child. It simply isn’t true. While authentic educators have tremendous value (and can help you navigate your homeschool journey), I can tell you from lived experience that most of the people that will influence your child’s education in public school are not authentic educators no matter how much they or the school’s principal try to convince you otherwise.
- Decide to homeschool your child. Homeschooling requires making a choice and taking responsibility for your choice. It requires saying “Yes” over and over again to a long-term investment that may not yield immediate, visible results but will be worth the time, effort and expense.
Far too many parents have been conditioned to believe that the local public school is the best choice to educate their child or have convinced themselves that while the public school is not great that it will have to suffice. The local public school may be the most convenient choice, but it is not necessarily the best choice for your child. Many parents enjoy and need the perks that public schools offer. Public schools must accept students within their local jurisdiction, tax dollars pay for the schools, school hours often coincide with work hours, a bus picks up and drops students off, lunch is included and a team of people assume responsibility for children most of the day. All of this is true and if this is what you want from your child’s education, this is what you will get but you are not guaranteed much more. Some parents want much more than what public school offers and homeschool gives them that option.
Homeschool offers parents the freedom to create the educational experience they want for their child instead of simply accepting the popular and convenient choice. Think about when you dine at a restaurant, sometimes there is a pre fixe menu that doesn’t permit changes. It usually includes an appetizer, a main course and a dessert – that’s public school. The selections have been made for you at a predetermined price, and you can’t change them. However, in addition to the pre fixe menu, many restaurants also offer a different menu from which patrons can order a la carte with each item costing a different price and accommodations and substitutions are allowed. The a la carte menu allows guests to order the items they want the way that they want them. The menu is customizable to suit the needs of the person consuming the food. That different menu is homeschool. This educational option, which is gaining popularity, especially among Black Americans, allows parents the freedom to choose when, where and how they want their children to be educated. So how do you access the la cart menu in Prince William County? Keep reading.
- Submit Your Notice of Intent to Prince William County Schools: If your child has turned five or will turn five by September 30th, Virginia state law requires that he/she be educated. Homeschooling is an educational option. Parents/Guardians can log onto Home Instruction Documents – Prince William County Public Schools to complete the Notice of Intent online. You are not seeking permission to homeschool your child; you are notifying the county of your intent to homeschool your child. If your child is currently enrolled in Prince William County Schools, you will need to withdraw him/her and then submit your Notice of Intent to homeschool. To withdraw your Prince William County student, log onto Registration – Prince William County Public Schools. Log into your ParentVue account. Choose the Online Records tab from the menu at the top. Scroll down to the button for “Student Withdrawal PK-12.” Complete the online withdrawal form and submit. If you need help, send an email to PWCSHomeInstruction@pwcs.edu.
- Research curriculum. With freedom comes great responsibility. While homeschooling is liberating, it also comes with many choices that you must make. You are custom-building your child’s education which as exciting as it is, can also be daunting. If you are looking for educational guidelines, The Virginia Department of Education’s website, www.doe.virginia.gov is a great place to start. Hover over the Teaching, Learning and Assessment link at the top and click on K-12 Standards and Instruction. This link gives access to the state’s standards which share what students are expected to learn in each subject.
Another homeschool primer is “Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School” by Rebecca Rupp. Research curriculum based on what you want your child to know and how you want them to learn and from whom. Outschool (www.outschool.com) is an excellent resource that allows home educators to select virtual a la carte classes for their child. If you can imagine it, Outschool has it. If you are looking for a U.S. History curriculum presented from a decolonized, Afrocentric perspective, try Woke Homeschooling’s “Oh Freedom: A Conscious U.S. History Curriculum” (www.wokehomeschooling.com) available to scholars in grades K-12.
Remember that you are in the driver’s seat. You get to decide when, where and how to homeschool your student. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself and whatever you do, don’t try to replicate public school. Children are learning organically all the time. Learning is naturally embedded in everything they do, especially when they are young. As they get older, your homeschool choices will require more structure especially if your child plans to attend college.
- Build Your Community. Homeschooling can be done in isolation, but I don’t recommend it. When I started homeschooling my son in the middle of his 7th grade year, I remember making a Facebook video putting out a desperate call for Black homeschooling families in Prince William County. I got no responses. It was a very lonely five months of homeschooling. While my son was in an emotionally safe environment and thriving academically, socially it was very challenging because he had no peer interaction during the school day and neither did I.
Months later I learned that there are no Black homeschooling co-ops in western Prince William County. I couldn’t find any in Fauquier County, Loudon County or Fairfax County either. The closest Black homeschooling co-ops were Cultural Roots Homeschool Co-op in Richmond, Virginia, nearly two hours away and Sankofa in Washington DC which was at least an hour and a half away. I later learned that there are Black homeschooling families and Black co-ops but they weren’t accessible. If I wanted a co-op for Black homeschoolers in Prince William County, I would have to build it.
- Educate Your Child. The final step is doing the work of educating your child. Empowered with a belief system that reminds you that you can educate your child, knowledge of how your child learns and the resources that you will use to educate our child, you are well on your way to crafting an incredible learning experience for you and your child. I encourage you to plan well and pivot when necessary (and it will be necessary). Resist the urge to replicate public schools. Give yourself time and permission to reimagine what your child’s education looks like and remember to enjoy the journey.
We know how to educate Black children. Our children are depending on us to get their education right and there is no time to waste. They only get one childhood, and mediocrity is not an option. Let’s get to work – together.
