Contemporary Perspectives on Black Homeschooling with Dr. Khadijah Ali-Coleman

This conversation was part of the 2022 Black Family Homeschool Educators and Scholars Virtual Teach-In.

Felicidy Flucas Edwards is a homeschooling mother who currently homeschools a high school senior (c/o 22). She is co-founder of Scholarship Time with her two children Zamya and Zamira.  Scholarship Time is an online class platform to assist in finding funding for college. Homeschooling high school senior Zamya has already received over $500,000 in merit scholarship funding from colleges/universities offering free rides. During her panel discussion, Felicity will share how this feat was done and what credentials were needed while also explaining why looking for scholarships seems so hard. She looks forward to sharing with homeschooling parents why each student's way of finding scholarship funding will be a different journey.   

Dr. Khadijah Ali-Coleman is founding director of Black Family Homeschool Educators & Scholars, LLC and co-editor of the book Homeschooling Black Children in the US: Theory, Practice & Popular Culture (IAP, 2022). She homeschooled her daughter off and on for 13 years and graduated her in 2021. Her daughter earned an associate's degree while homeschooling for high school and was offered over a half million dollars in scholarships from almost 20 colleges/universities (some that she did not apply to). Dr. Ali-Coleman is grateful to have had the opportunity to homeschool her beloved daughter and has begun coaching parents who are homeschooling on a college pathway. She is an multi-disciplinary creative and founder of Liberated Muse Arts Group, StudentMediaOnline.com and So Our Youth Aspire. In addition, she is the founder, producer and host of the BFHES Virtual Teach-In, the podcast Contemporary Perspectives on Black Homeschooling and the podcast The Black Writer's Studio. 

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Adirah Aishet-Tsalmiel is founder of Ujuzi Curriculum Consultants, LLC and will share with you ways to create a child-centered learning experience for your children. She has been an educator for learners of all ages for over 20 years. From preschoolers to university students, she is intentional about creating environments where learning is enjoyable and thought-stimulating. Starting with her own three sons she has homeschooled since birth, Adirah's love of teaching has spread to students around the world.  Adirah has earned a BS in Nutrition and Food Science from Hunter College and a Master of Arts in Teaching (Multiple Subjects) from the University of Southern California (USC).  Along with this formal training, her experiences as a world-schooling, single mom have given her a wealth of knowledge she is excited to share with you! Adirah was a speaker in the 2nd Annual BFHES Virtual Teach-In 

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During this talk, Dr. Khadijah shares 5 tips on homeschooling an only child. Dr. Khadijah Ali-Coleman is founding director of Black Family Homeschool Educators & Scholars, LLC and co-editor of the book Homeschooling Black Children in the US: Theory, Practice & Popular Culture (IAP, 2022). She homeschooled her daughter off and on for 13 years and graduated her in 2021. 

Her daughter earned an associate's degree while homeschooling for high school and was offered over a half million dollars in scholarships from almost 20 colleges/universities (some that she did not apply to). Dr. Ali-Coleman is grateful to have had the opportunity to homeschool her beloved daughter and has begun coaching parents who are homeschooling on a college pathway. 

She is an multi-disciplinary creative and founder of Liberated Muse Arts Group, StudentMediaOnline.com and So Our Youth Aspire. In addition, she is the founder, producer and host of the BFHES Virtual Teach-In, the podcast Contemporary Perspectives on Black Homeschooling and the podcast The Black Writer's Studio. This talk was first presented as a Coffee Talk during the 3rd annual Black Family Homeschool educators and scholars virtual teach-in that took place July 14-16, 2022. It can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClILJ1G4Sl0&t=728s

Wife, mother of 3 and Co-Owner of Dixon Strategies, LLC, speaker Jada Dixon shares positive tips on how to break free from traditional ideas of schooling and begin homeschooling your own way. This Coffee Talk is part of the 3rd Annual Black Family Homeschool Educators and Scholars (BFHES) Virtual Teach-In.

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You may be a full-time homeschooler or a working mom. The freedom to homeschool is great, but the responsibility can be overwhelming. LaNissir James, veteran homeschool mom of 7 and author of Mom's Manual, will help you create an organizational strategy to thrive in your homeschool journey and mom life. You will learn tips on developing your academic plan.  

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Dr. Cheryl Fields-Smith interviews Black homeschooling leader Paula J. Penn-Nabrit, author of the book Morning by Morning: How We Homeschooled Our African-American Sons to the Ivy League

It is now 2021 and the world has been in the throes of a global health pandemic for a year now. The world has watched continued violence in the United States through racially-tinged police brutality, the recent Capitol insurrection and rising incidents of domestic terrorism. Environmental issues spread and the economy continues to impact the quality of life for the most vulnerable citizens. As a homeschooling parent, how do you engage with your children around these topics?  

This TEA TALK features Black Family Homeschool and Scholars (BFHES) founders Dr. Khadijah Ali-Coleman and Dr. Cheryl Fields-Smith who discuss the ways that Black homeschooling families are engaging with their children around current events and discuss the role homeschooling has on building the critical thinking skills and civic literacy of children. 

Dr. Khadijah Ali-Coleman moderates a panel of homeschooling entrepreneurial mamas who share their journey of balancing homeschooling and maintaining a business to support their family.

According to the US Census Bureau’s, most recent count of businesses, “the 2018 Annual Business Survey (ABS), found that Black or African Americans owned 124,004 employer businesses (firms with at least one paid employee) in 2017. This accounted for 2.2% of the 5.7 million employer businesses in the United States.

Have you had to contend with family members who did not agree with your choice to homeschool? Are you battling your own contradictory ideas about education while trying to curate your child's learning experience as a homeschooling parent? Are you filled with fear sometimes that you are on the wrong track? This panel discusses how it is possible to homeschool without fear that you will mess up your children. Panelists include Kyna Clemons is CEO & Founder of Ujima Children of the Sun Educational Services, Maleka Diggs, an unschooling advocate, community organizer, and trainer that centers equity and inclusion with a focus on BIPOC communities; Jade Weatherington of TeacherJade.com; Nicole Kennedy Green of GreenHouse Learning Online; and Dr. Meca Williams-Johnson, professor of Educational Research in the College of Education Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia. 

Watch the show on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3Qo1lDyVTk&t=812s and subscribe to our channel.

Black families are turning to homeschooling in droves due to the COVID-19 global pandemic leading to closures of school classrooms and a pivot to virtual learning en masse. The switch can become overwhelming. This panel of veteran homeschooling parents offers insights in how finding balance is possible and key to building your best life as a homeschooling parent. Panelists include Dannielle Joy Davis, PhD, Queen Taese, Cheryl R. Carter, and Dr. Paris “AJ” Adkins-Jackson.

Panelists include: Joyelle Naomi, Colie Aziza, Phyllis Smith Asinyanbi, and Dr. Brandi Hinnant-Crawford. 

16 year-old Khari D. talks with Dr. Ali-Coleman about her experiences in a public school and why she asked her mother to return to homeschooling for high school.

Tichaona Chinyelu is a writer, mother and author of three books of poetry: In the Whirlwind, Still Living on My Feet and Contraband Marriage. She lives, writes and raises her son in Cambridge, MA. Her writings can be found at SillLivingOnMyFeet.com 

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Phyllis Smith Asinyanbi is an independent educator, writer, thinker, lifelong student, and global citizen. Phyllis has a unique perspective on home education as her son is gifted and on the autism spectrum, also known as 2e (twice-exceptional).  She is also the former moderator of African American Single Parent Homeschoolers (AASPH), an excellent Facebook group. A veteran homeschooler who has been homeschooling her son since he was in first grade, she is overjoyed that he is now a senior and will soon be attending college. Phyllis also has a bachelor’s degree in education, with a concentration in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. She now teaches students English online. If anyone has questions, please contact her via email (plsmitha@gmail.com) or Facebook Messenger (Name: Phyllis Smith Asinyanbi). 

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Maleka Diggs is an unschooling advocate, community organizer, and trainer that centers equity and inclusion with a focus on BIPOC communities who has been serving families, schools and alternative learning spaces through her organization, Eclectic Learning Network. She is also co-founder of Philly Children’s Movement, a multi-racial and multi-generational collective of families talking, playing, and rising up for racial justice! Her work explores the intersections of race and education, its impact on Black and Brown peoples and those within under-represented communities while exploring ways to disrupt the cycle of institutionalized education through unschooling and self-directed learning approaches. You can learn more about her work at the following links:   

Dr. Aaliyah Baker is an Assistant Professor in the College of Education and Leadership at Cardinal Stritch University. Dr. Baker began her career in education as a classroom teacher with the Milwaukee Public Schools. She earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction (University of Wisconsin – Madison) with an emphasis in Multicultural Education. Her research interests include critical race theory, multicultural education, sociocultural theories of learning, and the role of race, class and gender in educational achievement and experiences in schools. She has conducted research within the scope of education, society, culture and learning in Morocco and South Africa as a Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad grant recipient. Her scholarship explores and informs areas such as culturally relevant pedagogy, student and family centered education practices, social and cultural issues surrounding the influence of race on schooling experiences and theoretical perspectives that value human experience, identity and cultural awareness. 

Dr. Baker teaching, service, and scholarship focus on the importance of creating equitable educational experiences for all students. Dr. Baker maintains strong community and school partnerships by developing and supporting curriculum, assessment, and instruction. She hopes to contribute to creating a caring community by building critical engagement that address societal issues. Dr. Baker facilitates scholarly discussions about diversity, inclusion and social justice to support students’ academic, personal and professional development. Dr. Baker has disseminated research at a wide number of state, national, and international conferences and forums. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses that focus on sociocultural theories of learning, instructional models of language and literacy development, and qualitative inquiry.  

Her dissertatation study was titled, BLACK FAMILIES‘ PEDAGOGIES: PEDAGOGICAL PHILOSOPHIES AND PRACTICES  SURROUNDING BLACK PARENTS‘ DECISIONS TO HOMESCHOOL  

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Black families have been homeschooling children long before COVID-19. However, the current global pandemic has brought homeschooling to the forefront of many conversations regarding the education of Black children. While homeschooling has often been approached from the perspective of white families who homeschool and several scholars who have attempted to set the tone for homeschooling in the U.S, the perspectives of Black homeschooling families and the researchers who center them in their research largely go ignored.

This interview is from the 2020 Black Family Homeschool Educators and Scholars (BFHES) Virtual Teach-In and features a conversation with researcher and homeschooling mother, Dr. Dannielle Joy Davis. 

Dr. Dannielle Joy Davis is a tenured Associate Professor of Higher Education at Saint Louis University. She is the first known African American woman (descended from skilled captive Mende, Temne, and Fula people in the United States) to earn tenure in the history of the institution’s School of Education. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, she has studied and conducted research in Ghana, South Africa, Senegal, Egypt, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Belgium. Her interdisciplinary research examines the experiences of marginalized groups in educational settings, the role of organizational policy and practice in the promotion or inhibition of egalitarian academic and occupational outcomes, and spirituality in the workplace and other learning environments.   Dr. Davis was homeschooled as a child and is currently homeschooling her son. In this video, she shares what the truth is about Black homeschooling families.

View the interview at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvqbpolm95Y&t=143s

About BFHES:  

Our inaugural virutal teach-in included over 25 talks featuring homeschooling parents, researchers and educators, almost 200 registrants from across the country and week filled with community-building, resource-sharing and engagement.