This is part of 草莓传媒鈥檚 continuing coverage of people making a difference from our community authored by Stephanie Gaines-Bryant. Read more of that coverage.
began home schooling her children about 17 years ago because she says “we had a situation with a private school.”
The Prince George鈥檚 County, Maryland, resident is the mother of seven children ranging in age from 6 to 24. She said at first, she was reluctant. She said her husband wanted to know if it was legal. Then she says, 鈥渨e found out it was legal and that home-school is a beautiful way to educate your children.鈥�
Along the way, she says she began helping other families. James is the co-founder of , the Maryland based organization that serves over 3,000 families nationwide.
It connects Black home-schoolers with people in their area. It has co-ops, tutorials, field trips and graduations. Also, James is a consultant with the . Her specialty is home schooling through high school.
The number of Blacks families home schooling their children has skyrocketed since
COVID-19. According to the latest Census Bureau data, the number of Black families home schooling went from 3% in 2020 to 16.1% in 2021.
James is hoping the number will get even larger.
鈥淎frican American students, parents, families need choices in education. For too long they鈥檝e tolerated educational choices that are not working for our children,鈥� she said, also adding that home schooling gives parents flexibility.
鈥淵ou can make it work around your situation. There is no home-school law that states your kids have to be in school at 7 o鈥檆lock,鈥� James said.
She said she hears from parents and teachers around the country who are concerned that Black history lessons are going to be watered down. In Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order on his first day in office banning the use of 鈥渋nherently divisive concepts, including critical race theory鈥� in grades K-12, despite the fact that critical race theory is not taught in Virginia schools.
鈥淚鈥檓 not fighting with curriculum. I鈥檓 finding the curriculum that works best for my family,” James said.
She said one of her favorite activities is teaching her children what she calls 鈥渓iving history.鈥� Through home education she says 鈥測ou have the ability to tell your story to your children. You are the historian.鈥�
James and her husband Lorenzo, who have been married 26 years, say they鈥檝e invested a lot of time in passing on their family鈥檚 rich history. She said Lorenzo owns a property in Virginia that his family lived in when they were slaves. They are currently restoring the home and using the project as a teaching tool in a variety of ways, whether it鈥檚 through painting, gardening, or simply sitting down talking to elder relatives.
鈥淵ou can incorporate the values, the legacies, the things that are important to your into your home education,鈥� said James.
The University of Maryland graduate is author of the book .鈥�
