While the majority of us were happy to spend the summer and fall seasons outside, and plan family trips once again with the kiddos, the fact of the matter is we are very much still living in a pandemic state. With the onset of the newly detected Omicron variant of the Coronavirus, cases have been rising in recent months. Meanwhile, companies are continuing to reopen their doors to employees, and usher kids back into classrooms. An increasing number of Black families, however, are refusing their children re-entry.

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The Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey reported that in April 2020, 3% of Black parents homeschooled their children, and was up to 16% by October, a number that may not be entirely accurate, as halfway through the course of the survey, it was clarified that homeschooled children did not include those enrolled in public or private school. (Many of those surveyed were also reporting homeschooling their children during state mandated shutdowns.) Either way, a lot of us have taken to educating our own.

According to reporting by NPR, “covid was the catalyst.” Didakeje Griffin and her husband, who were interviewed by the publication, stated that “It was like a lightbulb moment,” in reference to the schools shutting down in the early pandemic days.

Source: Overt Racism And The Ongoing Pandemic Is Prompting More Black Parents To Homeschool Children