As more Black families opt for homeschooling, they face a prevalence of conservative, Eurocentric, and often racist educational materials that misrepresent historical events like slavery. In response to this lack of inclusive content and concerns about racism and bias in public schools, Black homeschoolers are actively creating and supplementing curricula with Afrocentric and culturally affirming materials. The article highlights the double-edged sword of homeschooling's lack of regulation, which allows for tailored education but also enables extremist content, and discusses the historical tradition of Black home education.
Black home schoolers push back against racist, unregulated curricula: ‘They called slavery immigration’
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AI Summary
TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️As more Black families opt for homeschooling, they face a prevalence of conservative, Eurocentric, and often racist educational materials that misrepresent historical events like slavery. In response to this lack of inclusive content and concerns about racism and bias in public schools, Black homeschoolers are actively creating and supplementing curricula with Afrocentric and culturally affirming materials. The article highlights the double-edged sword of homeschooling's lack of regulation, which allows for tailored education but also enables extremist content, and discusses the historical tradition of Black home education.
Trending- 1 18th century: Black home education tradition began.
- 2 1787: African Free School founded in New York City.
- 3 1970s: Fundamentalist Christians launched the current homeschooling movement.
- 4 1983: Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) founded.
- 5 2016: Delina McPhaull sought out homeschooling after Trayvon Martin's killing.
- 6 2018: Dr Timberly Baker decided to homeschool her children.
- 7 2019: Delina McPhaull's Woke Homeschooling curriculum launched.
- 8 April-October 2020: Number of Black households homeschooling increased five-fold.
- 9 February 2023: Ohio department of education investigated pro-Nazi material in a homeschooling group.
- 10 2023: Preliminary data from NCES showed Black students participated in virtual schooling at higher rates.
- 11 Recently: Trump administration gutted the NCES, ending future data collection on homeschooling.
- 12 Recently: Trump signed an executive order instructing the dismantling of the Department of Education.
- Increased diversity in homeschooling demographics
- Development of culturally affirming educational materials
- Exposure of racist content in mainstream homeschooling curricula
- Debate over the lack of regulation in homeschooling and its implications (both positive for tailored education and negative for extremist content)
- Dismantling of Department of Education and DEI initiatives under Trump administration
What: Black homeschooling families are confronting racist and unregulated curricula in the home education market and developing their own inclusive alternatives.
When: Dr. Timberly Baker decided to homeschool in 2018; Black households homeschooling increased five-fold between April and October 2020; preliminary NCES data from 2023; Delina McPhaull sought homeschooling in 2016 after Trayvon Martin's killing; Black home education tradition dates back to the 18th century; African Free School founded in New York City in 1787; current homeschooling movement launched by fundamentalist Christians in the 1970s; HSLDA founded in 1983; Ohio department of education investigated pro-Nazi material in February 2023.
Where: United States, Arkansas, Ohio, Florida, Keene (Texas), Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), New York City, Massachusetts.
Why: To provide culturally affirming education for their children, address racism and bias in public schools, and counter the prevalence of racist and inaccurate materials in the homeschooling market.
How: Black parents are supplementing existing curricula, creating new Afrocentric materials (e.g., Woke Homeschooling), and forming homeschooling cooperatives to support each other.