Chapter 1: It Takes a Village.... a Facebook Village: On Advocating for My Black Son

It was 9:30 p.m., and I was finally home after a long day on campus. On this particular Wednesday, I was hosting a guest speaker for the urban education lecture series I chair for the School of Education. That evening, I enjoyed dinner with the guest speaker and several colleagues following the lecture. At dinner, we engaged in lively conversation about the state of urban education in our local community. Most of my colleagues know of my challenges navigating school options for my now 12-year-old son who, in his lifetime, has attended a range of diverse school settings, including public school, private school, Catholic school, home school, and now charter school. At dinner, I was asked about my experiences homeschooling my son for 3 years and our recent decision to enroll him in a local charter school. I described the ways that I witnessed my son, a young Black male, flourish during his years as a homeschooler. He is an independent, self-initiating, critical thinker and learner. In the simplest terms, he loves to learn.