In this post, we will discuss various educational aids and programs for parents hoping to adopt an Afrocentric Homeschool Curriculum. This in-depth post will cover the following:
- Why Do Black Children Need An Afrocentric Curriculum?
- One Size Never Fits All
- Reconstructing The National Curriculum
- Future Benefits Of An Afrocentric Curriculum?
- How To Find And Implement An Afrocentric Curriculum
- Some great African-Centered Education Books & Books On Implementing An African Centered Curriculum
- List Of Afrocentric Curriculums & Programmes
- Classes For Adults
- Afrocentric Learning Supplements
- How To Teach Academically Excellent African Centered Lessons
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Why Do Black Children Need An Afrocentric Curriculum?
So, you have decided to home educate or are strongly considering it (at least, I assume so due to the nature of this website). But first, you want to know what is the best way to go about educating your black child at home.
It is great that you understand the needs of an African child are different from that of any other and that if we are going to raise well-rounded, confident, intelligent, thoughtful, and mentally stable future leaders in this society, we are going to need to go the extra mile.
We are going to need to do so by providing them with an African Centred Curriculum, tailored to them. Or at the very least try to incorporate elements of Afrocentric study into their homeschool schedule.
True equity and integration does not mean one size fits all.
One Size Never Fits All
It is important to note that there is no one way of educating, therefore there is no right or wrong way of educating. And, you must choose what is best for your child and their learning style. In most cases, you can find multiple curriculums, methods and styles and customize them so they can complement each other.
In fact, most black parents find that this works best for them. Some will start off with something like the Charlotte Mason Method and then switch to the Waldorf Style or merge the two. Others may stick to their national curriculum or state curriculum but teach it in their own way, neglect things they deem irrelevant and try to include black history in as many things as possible.
The beauty is, you are fully within your rights to construct your own curriculum as you see fit and according to your child’s needs.
But what if you want the basis of your studies to be Afrocentric at the root and incorporate those other styles or structures into that? Well, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. There are a number of black organisations that have been working hard for years to accommodate such and I am sure you will find one or two that will fit whichever approach you take. If one does not encompass everything you need, there are plenty of supplemental packs and worksheets put together by black teachers you can include.
African Proverb: If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.
– Ugandan
Reconstructing The National Curriculum
You can always take something and ameliorate it. Therefore, if there are good, beneficial elements of the National Curriculum, we need not necessarily throw the entire thing away. There are ways in which we can construct our own curriculum or adapt a current one to suit our needs.
Check this post out and download our free black history worksheets!
If your primary focus is for your black child to thrive in the west but still retain a sense of self and be an asset to their community and future generations. Then simply striving for more black representation is not going to cut it. We would have to improve the overall quality of education we afford our black children by introducing an Afrocentric curriculum alongside their British, National curriculum.
The National curriculum will have its benefits in that it is tailored towards obtaining the globally recognized academic certification, but it is in no way shape or form empowering to black children, their history nor their present. History is the premise of any curriculum; it shows how everything came to be and how we can improve going forward. When the national curriculum does come into contact with black history, it mostly touches on black history’s negatives, where blacks were plagued by slavery, colonialism, and poverty afterwards.
It fails to fully acknowledge the achievements of blacks, in Africa, the UK, and beyond, before the European expansion of power and territory.
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Black children are thereby subjected to years of learning the history of another culture, to envy it, and find their role in improving it. Omitting vital details about the black race denies black children the right to dream for their race or strive to improve it. They would rather discard it and disassociate from it.
We teach them to learn from the white man, and only aim to be as good as him, never strive for bigger or better. In this sense, this curriculum in its entirety is not fit for the black child. And certainly should not be the only curriculum one follows. It does not empower a black child without coded messages of inferiority, and inequality.
When mis-taught that every great invention, then and now, was by a white man. Where a black person contributed, they did so as slaves; we instil self-hate and pity in our children. In turn, as they grow and navigate throughout the education system and excel to higher heights, they want to get as close to whiteness as possible.
Future Benefits Of An Afrocentric Curriculum?
An Afrocentric curriculum will do its best to instill and preserve knowledge and pride in the black child, which will lead to better development of the black community. This needs to be introduced to our children from a young age.
Teaching black children black history will not destroy western/European history; it will challenge mis-told stories and balance history to increase self-esteem and self-love in black children. Black children only seek to emulate other cultures because theirs is termed unworthy, primitive, and sad to teach or follow.
For decades now, black children have grown up reading about and watching movies about racism towards people of colour. As the years go by, and it starts happening to them, they learn to expect it and react in anger and self-hate. To change this, we have to empower the black child through systems that benefit them. This is not to feel superior, equal to or less than in comparison to any ethnicity. This is to prepare them to surpass any limitations set on them and become global competitors bearing knowledge of self, inner peace and understanding.
Introducing an Afrocentric curriculum will teach black children the importance of taking agency in fixing society.
When this concept is instilled at a young age, it will eradicate the outcomes we see today, of black men and women driven by anger and self-loathing, angry at a system and often taking it out on themselves and each other.
After slavery and colonialism, black people in Africa, and across the diaspora, had their identities distorted and their cultures discarded to further the European power agenda. They have lost their languages, African names, and even spirituality. This is a step towards regaining that.
How To Find And Implement An Afrocentric Curriculum
Following an Afrocentric curriculum, such as the ones listed below, will teach black children how unique their heritage was and continues to be, and how they can use it to improve their communities.
A good Afrocentric curriculums sets out to create a framework to restructure black cultures and identities; it will impart vital knowledge about the best values, morals, and practices that black children can adopt in their daily life.
With such knowledge, the future generations will have the right and power to control institutions that today, due to a lack of knowledge and will amongst black people, dictate the nature of education and social life.
The British National Curriculum fails to inspire black children because it is designed to elevate and preserve white culture. Supplementing it with an Afrocentric curriculum promises to create a black self-identity and consciousness, promote and preserve the black culture, and produce black nation builders.
All the while providing them with the tools necessary to obtain those recognised qualifications (if that is the path they wish to go down). Similarly, it will provide them with the knowledge and tools to become self-sufficient, independent and creators of jobs and opportunities.
Some great African-Centered Education Books & Books On Implementing An African Centered Curriculum
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To achieve a just, equal, and peaceful British (and American) society, we have to revise the education structure ourselves. We need to discard the stereotype that the white/European culture is all-inclusive or is this big ‘melting pot’ they claim it is because it is not.
It does not celebrate black people as equal contributors to development and civilization. As long as we keep teaching black children this, we teach them they are inferior. An Afrocentric curriculum will help black children study, observe, and practice their own unique culture that celebrates, develops, and sustains them.
For further reading on the African Centered Curriculum and why it is important for our children, please see this comprehensive document (PDF) by Efua Akoma and also ‘African Centered Schooling: Facilitating Holistic Excellence for Black Children‘ by Tonia Renee Durden
List Of Afrocentric Curriculums & Programmes
| Organisation | What They Offer | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Kamali Academy Education for Liberation | Curriculum, Online Courses, Maths Workbooks, Language Arts Workbooks | Courses $37-$67 Curriculum $29.99 |
| Kokumo | An African History and Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) Curriculum in a Box. Monthly lesson subscription for grades K – 12 | Monthly Package $49.99 |
| Sankofa Club | Sankofa Kids Club provides printable worksheets focused around Black History delivered to your inbox each and every month, recommended for Pre-K to Grade 6. | Monthly Package $29.99 |
| The Black Curriculum | Black British History curriculum, podcast, and educational videos | Free and paid options |
| Kwanzaa365 | Afrocentric Curriculum for ages 3-8 years | $30 |
| Exploring Africa | Units, modules, and learning activities, and lesson plans all covering various topics of African study. (K12/Teens) | Free with optional $10 lesson plans. |
| Blessed Heritage | Offering elementary, middle school and high school curriculums as well as supplemental products | Around $25 per package |
| Fawohodie Sua/ Adesua Akuraa (Edu-Village) | Comprised of Afrikan Families and Educators, the Adesua Akuraa is an extension of the Fawohodie Sua Co-op Classes, and is a Virtual Afrikan Education Support “Village”. | Prices vary |
| Sankofa Science Solutions | Lab & Field Instruction, Instructional Coaching, Professional Development, Workshops, Tutoring | Services & products from $15-$65 |
| Black Classical Academy | The Black Classical Academy mission is to provide culturally affirming learning resources to supplement your child’s K-12 education. | From $7.99-$17.99 |
| The Historic Journey | African American History Journey – before America to Barack Obama | – |
| Aya Educational Institute | Online youth classes and courses | Wide range of options and prices. |
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Classes For Adults
| Held By | What They Offer | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Akilah S. Richards | A wide range of unschooling classes for parents who want to take the self-directed learning route. | From $28+ |
| Greg Coleman – Mr. Elementary Math | Resources for teaching math and making it clear and fun. | Free |
| Leah Salmon | Leah Salmon offers various courses and events for mothers | Prices vary |
| Aya Educational Institute | Various adult classes from health to teaching our youth. | Prices vary |
Afrocentric Learning Supplements
If you already have an established curriculum and are happy with your current set up – you may find it useful to simply supplement this with additional Afrocentric activities and worksheets.
Here is a list of black/African-American pages on Teachers Pay Teachers who have a range of resources you can either download for free or purchase on the go.
| Username | Subjects Covered | Number of Resources |
|---|---|---|
| The Think Tank | math, science, history, language arts, creative writing, geometry, social studies + | 190+ |
| Teach Me T | Preschool (PreK) – Year 6 (5th Grade) – phonics, history, geography, special education, handwriting+ | 107+ |
| Dr Mia’s Learning Lab | reading strategies, black history, phonics, writing, vocabulary building+ | 117+ |
| Real and Relevant Learning | economics, critical thinking, art history, African American history, reading, spelling+ | 23+ |
| Black Homeschool Forum | African history worksheets, math worksheets, Swahili worksheets | 15+ |
| Mrs Cr8 | study skills, test prep, black history, reading strategies+ | 19+ |
| Professor Joyice | black business, economics | 2+ |
| Deeply Rooted | Afrocentric mathematics, kiswahili, geography | 11+ |
| The Black Apple | math, science, engineering, history, informational text bundled curriculum and lesson plans+ | 65+ |
| Afrocentric Montessori | English language arts, writing, phonics, cultural activities literature, geography, art history, socisl studies+ | 34+ |
| Mix and Math | math, fractions, word problems, decimals, problem solving | 32+ |
How To Teach Academically Excellent African Centered Lessons
Marcus Kline Director, Freedom Home Academy International in Chicago, Illinois utilizes and infuses The Historic Journey Resource Curriculum in grades K-8.
In this video he is teaching K-3 lessons on the Laetoli Footprints, Map- Globe Skills-Grid Lines, Wind Systems and Ocean Currents.
The focus is on vocabulary strengthening strategies and reading comprehension using culturally relevant materials.
Notice the student engagement and behavior in the classroom when utilizing The Historic Journey Resource Curriculum.
“A society’s culture can survive far longer than the lifespan of any of its members, because its educational system passes down the folkways and knowledge of one generation to subsequent generations.
A culture changes over time, but has a recognizable continuity of basic values and behavioral patterns that distinguishes it from other cultures.
That continuity is provided by the educational system.”
Kenneth Conklin, 2002
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