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To be fair, this was an experience highlighting racism and discrimination, but that is not the case always. I was actually President of my local predominantly white, Christian co-op. I've also been welcomed into other co-ops without incident. That by no means takes away from the fact that co-ops have the capacity to be more segregated, divisive, and harmful than public schools if we don't acknowledge and speak against instances like Pamela Smith's when this happens. I am never surprised when this happens in the world, but God forbid we, as Christians, claim Christ and act the way Pamela described! Thanks for listening and for your comments!

As a white evangelical homeschooling mom, I absolutely have respect for whoever shows me they are respectable. This lady in the video would have had my complete respect and I would have loved to get to know her and have our children hang out together as well had I been in her co-op. I look at everyone for who they are on the inside by how they handle themselves and what their responses are showing their hearts; and if they are Christian, they are my sisters and brothers in Christ and that is all that should matter at the end of the day. I truly enjoyed your conversation and it has brought up a couple of things I have yet to put in depth thought into. This is for the fact that, yes, I am white and I haven't had to deal with some of these things these fine ladies have yet I have been the victim of racism at a very early age at public school in the 2nd grade; my best friend was black and her mom told her that she couldn't be my friend anymore because I was white. I was heartbroken because she and I had so much fun and were always partners when we had partner assignments and we even swapped eachother our favorite stuffed animals to have a sleepover one night! I loved being her friend and she eventually got very aggressive toward me after her mom forbade her from being my friend and one day she said "one day black people will own white people." My mom and dad hadn't told me about slavery when I was that young so I hadn't the slightest idea what she was even talking about but it scared me because the thought of anyone owning another human being hurt my heart and I just didn't know what to do with that other than just go away and leave her alone. This stuck with me for a long time because obviously, 30 years later I still remember this so vividly. I wanted to tell this story to remind people that racism can affect any melanin content and although we don't as often see it the way I experienced it, it is ugly in ANY and ALL forms! I am thankful that Christian women of all shades of brown (we are ALL just different shades of brown; put a piece of white construction paper beside my head and you will see that I am not "white" the same way if you hold up a black sheet of construction paper to either of these ladies' faces, you will see they are not "black" just varying amounts of melanin "brown") are choosing to talk about this. It's important to talk about the 'uncomfortable' realities of different people because we are all different and each set of experiences = different realities. I absolutely agree with the lady on the left when she said that we NEED to do this to make sure our children's realities are better than ours because that is the ultimate job of a parent. I believe that Jesus Christ is the ULTIMATE answer to these issues; Christ is at the CORE of healing and we ALL need to understand that we are ALL sinners and sinners is how OUR maker sees ALL of us (except Jesus who is blameless and sinless) and this is the most important way we need to come together! Thank you for being my sisters in Christ and I pray our children retain their ability to "just play without seeing outward differences before understanding the inner common trait that unites us all." ❤️✝️❤️🙏❤️

I know this is a touchy subject, but it needs to be discussed because a lot of us have experienced some aspect of this. I wanted our conversation to be seasoned with grace, however, and not come across as bashing. I am hopeful that this conversation will give our evangelical brethren and us some food for thought since as Christians, we are all a part of the body of Christ.

A Heart 4 Homeschool you did an excellent job.

@@MsAndrea Thanks so much!

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I’m so glad it was helpful, Renee!

I supplement with CZcams and two other curriculums that I use as references Black History 365 and share aheart4homeschool.com/black-history-365-curriculum-review/ and Woke Homeschooling which actually has an elementary Black History curriculum aheart4homeschool.com/a-review-of-oh-freedom-us-history-curriculum/. Hope this helps!

You’re welcome!😊

If you are interested in support, the Black Family Homeschool Educators & Scholars has an awesome Facebook Group. Also, the Clubhouse app has a number of homeschoolers who host rooms to answer questions on homeschooling-including A Heart 4 Homeschool!😉 Hope this helps!

@@AHeart4Homeschool This definitely helps, I will look into these. Thank you for this information!

I dont think it's racist. Maybe you can even help offer others something. Being that white people are the vast majority you.can do this without stripping white out of your children's life but as a white person I fear homeschooling is going to strip color from my child's life. So how can I have both. Provide a good education for my child but also provide the necessity of other cultures and colors for my child?

Hi Jacqueline, You ask an excellent question. We live and exist in mostly Caucasian spaces and I have some experience with trying to find ways to keep my children connected to their culture as well. Although we can't always control the diversity of where we live, we can demonstrate that diversity is something we value based on the books and curriculum we choose. Choosing stories and books that celebrate diversity and highlight the contributions of diverse people (black, brown, disabled, immigrants, etc), show our children our values in this area. Additionally, I've tried to expose my children to accurate history that again, highlights different perspectives and experiences of other groups--in addition to the traditional, Eurocentric-focused historical perspectives. Online groups and local groups (outside of the more traditional homeschool circles) has also helped to meet other children of color. Also, if you encounter some homeschoolers or families of color in your daily spheres, don't be afraid to connect with them and/or have your children connect as well. Who you choose to associate yourself with in terms of forming friendships can also send a strong message to your children, if the opportunity should present itself.

Hi, I met a White mother who's situation is similar to yours. She incorporated multicultural studies in her curriculum to include all ethnicities. This included going to museums, historical sites, going to restaurants, attending festivals & events etc.

So glad you liked it! Please check out my website www.aheart4homeschool.com. Your friend may want to check out my free ebook ‘Ready, Set, Homeschool’ ! ☺️

@@AHeart4Homeschool thank you! Will definitely check it out ☺️

I can’t imagine! They were the true soldiers!

Many in the black community are discovering the many gifts of homeschooling! It’s freedom in so many ways!

Sara we’ve been homeschooling for two years and it’s changed my girls lives. They are biologically my nieces and I think even just having a “different” family made them feel othered along with other things. Now they are thriving

It was a feature within my Google Suite. My understanding is that when Google Classroom first started only the schools had access to it, but a few years ago, they opened it up to the public.

@@AHeart4Homeschool Thank you so much for the insight and your quick response!

@@capricescott5480 My pleasure!

So glad it helped!😊

Thanks so much Lesley!

I would recommend connecting virtually with some other black homeschoolers online. There are some virtual African-American homeschool co-ops online that meet virtually. There are some that help teens to connect virtually as well. Additionally, I would recommend looking up some classes on Outschool that will enable your daughter to connect as well. I will share some links to the groups I mentioned.

Cultural Corner Homeschool Support Group is one group that has free virtual classes. facebook.com/groups/1242374176162400/?ref=share

@@AHeart4Homeschool thank you, I appreciate you.

Homeschooling Black Teens is another social connection group for teens facebook.com/groups/726942404758141/?ref=share

I plan to launch it in August! Check on August 1st and it will be up!

J Savannah You are so welcome!

ETeaches365 You’re so welcome! It’s been on my heart to for a while now!

I hear homeschoolers talk all the time about planning for the entire year. I think its awesome to do that, but I typically only do a month or a few weeks at a time since my schedule changes and I don’t always adhere closely to it.

@@AHeart4Homeschool ​ @A Heart 4 Homeschool i just gto a vague idea of where we want to go that year. i sorta planned the math and lang arts , then had some idea of science type and history era... but you just never know where all that can lead! :D

Yes, keep watching my playlist! I did an updated video walkthrough of it! :-)